


From That First Moment

by iceandfire105



Series: And In That Moment [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Beware, F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform, Marauders era, Multi, because I love good grammar, blackinnon, crack-fic abound, despite this, expect no logic, i don't know what goes through my head half the time, jily, marauder madness, now with added artwork!, refrain from consuming food/drink when reading if you want to keep your guts intact, so that's a plus, the grammar is remarkable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-05-22 19:29:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 73
Words: 178,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6091636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceandfire105/pseuds/iceandfire105
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot of things happened in those seven years. They came together from different walks of life, suffering much, and gaining little. But, what mattered most was that they loved each other. This is their story of what happened underneath Hogwarts' roof, from that first day at the playground.</p><p>Marauders-era fic, spanning from years 1 to 7. Also published on FanFiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Year 1 - The Beginnings of Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. :) 
> 
> I started writing this story in July, 2014, and began publishing in August of the same year. It's still going, even now, and I've decided to upload a copy on Archive of Our Own. I'm going to be uploading chapters three times a week until it's caught up to where I currently am. So, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (on Australian time) there'll be a new chapter, unless there's a reason I can't post. 
> 
> The chapters for the first year or so might be a little bit odd, but I was still only just starting out with this whole writing shebang when they were written, so hang in there.
> 
> And, a forewarning. I don't really use the Harry Potter Wiki for this; I only really reference names, and that's about this. So, there's a few things in here that clash with that, but oh well. It's fanfiction. 
> 
> Okay, I think that's it. There won't really be any other A/N's, since there isn't exactly a point, so, hope you enjoy. :)
> 
> Cheers!  
> ~Ice.

**_ 1 – The Beginnings of Introductions _ **

** Lily **

‘Come _on_ , Tuney!’

Lily Evans started running towards the playground, constantly stopping and turning, waiting for her sister to catch up. The wind blew her long, red hair around her face. She swept it away impatiently. Petunia took her time to walk primly up the hill, like the polite little lady she had been raised to be.

‘I’m _coming_ , Lily. You shouldn’t run. The mud will ruin your shoes.’

Lily huffed and turned again, ignoring what Petunia said, and sprinted onto the playground, diving onto the swing in her haste to get there. She shuffled around, getting comfortable, then kicked off the ground, sending the swing high into the air. Petunia pursed her lips in disapproval, and made one more comment about ruined shoes before perching on the swing beside her, slowly swinging backwards and forwards.

Lily laughed as she gained more height, getting almost as high as the swing frame before gravity pushed her back down again. It had taken a lot of persuading to convince her sister to take her to the playground, as Petunia wanted to stay home and do whatever big girls such as her liked to do. Lily had all but begged on her hands and knees, proposing that they could go to the library afterwards. At that suggestion, Tuney had agreed.

Lily had begun soaring up past the frame now, and an idea came to her. ‘I’m going to let go.’

‘What?’

‘I’m going to let go. I want to fly.’

‘ _Lily.’_ Petunia’s tone had become stern. ‘No.’

‘Three . . . two . . .’

‘Lily, don’t do it!’

‘ _One!_ ’ Lily let go of her swing and soared through the air, laughing as she did so. She landed delicately on her feet a few metres away and turned to Petunia, grinning.

‘Mummy told you not to!’ Petunia stopped swinging and got off. She stood up, putting her hands firmly on her hips. Lily giggled.

‘Mummy said you weren’t allowed, Lily!’

‘But I’m fine,’ Lily said. She looked over at a bush nearby. ‘Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do.’

She picked up a little, pale pink flower and held it in her hand. She had discovered this last week when playing in her garden at home. She kept back a grin and concentrated. The flower petals began curling open and closed, like delicate wings. She looked up at Petunia, waiting for her reaction.

‘Stop it!’ Tuney shrieked. Lily pouted, and tossed it to the ground.

‘It’s not hurting you.’

‘It’s not right,’ Petunia muttered, watching the flower. But after a moment, curiosity obviously got the better of her. ‘How do you do it?’

‘It’s obvious, isn’t it?’

Lily jumped in surprise. A boy had come out from behind the bush. His black hair hung limp around his face, and the clothes he wore were too big for him. He was small and skinny.

‘What’s obvious?’ Lily asked.

He spared Petunia a quick glance and his voice lowered. ‘I know what you are.’

Lily was confused. She didn’t know this boy, yet he was claiming to know who she was. And she _already_ knew what she was. She was Lily Evans, she had turned nine years old on the 30 th of January, she lived at 27 Nottingshire Place . . . so what was this boy talking about?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’re . . . you’re a witch.’

Lily frowned. ‘That’s not a very nice thing to say to somebody!’

She turned around, back to Petunia. She didn’t want anything to do with this boy.

‘No!’ he cried. Lily and Petunia were both holding onto the swing frame, watching him suspiciously.

‘You _are_ ,’ the boy insisted. ‘You _are_ a witch. I’ve been watching you for a while. But there’s nothing wrong with that. My mum’s one, and I’m a wizard.’

Lily felt her eyebrows travel up her head. His story was so _silly_. Tuney seemed to think so, too. She gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Wizard! _I_ know who _you_ are. You’re that Snape boy!’

She turned to Lily. ‘They live down Spinner’s End by the river.’ She looked back at Snape, a glare on her face. ‘Why have you been spying on us?’

‘Haven’t been spying,’ Snape said uncomfortably. ‘Wouldn’t spy on _you_ , anyway. _You’re_ a Muggle.’

Tuney flinched as though she had been slapped. Lily pursed her lips. She didn’t know what he had just said, but she wasn’t really liking this boy.

‘Lily, come on, we’re leaving,’ Petunia said, flouncing off down the hill towards the gate. Lily didn’t need telling twice. She glared at Snape then followed her.

When they were both home, Lily went to her room and sat on her bed, thinking. Why did that Snape boy think she was a witch? She was perfectly normal. She . . . no, that was a lie. She wasn’t normal. She knew that.

Once, when she was five, there was a boy at school who liked to tease her and call her names. Eventually, Lily got so upset that she called him a stupid, warty toad, and somehow his skin took on an odd, green hue and ugly bumps sprouted up all over his face. Lily had insisted that it wasn’t her fault. Another time in third grade, her teacher Mr Green liked to give her the hardest questions to solve and blamed her for everything that went wrong. One day, during a particularly difficult maths lesson, just as he started sneering at her, all of the chalk exploded and the cloth chalkboard rubber “slipped” out of his hands and hit him repeatedly over the head. Somehow, Lily still managed to take the blame for that one.

She wondered if Snape was right. She wasn’t normal, so what if she was a witch? ~~~~

* * *

A few weeks later, Lily had decided to go and ask Snape about her being a “witch.” Her curiosity was effectively getting the better of her, and she wanted answers. That day, while her parents were out running errands and Tuney was too busy grooming herself at her armoire to care, she went for a walk. She knew Spinner’s End wasn’t far from her house and she could figure out what else to do once she got there. 

Just as she turned onto the street, Lily practically ran head-first straight into someone. The boy stumbled backwards with a grunt, and Lily began frantically spluttering her apologies. The boy looked up.

‘Snape!’ she cried. ‘Actually, well, I was looking for you, really. I wanted to talk.’

Snape flushed slightly at her upfront statement, and took a moment to respond. ‘Sure. There’s . . . there’s a grove near that park that we can go to.’

Lily nodded earnestly. ‘Of course.’ She turned around and started walking. After a moment, it occurred to her that Snape wasn’t following. ‘Aren’t you coming?’ she asked.

‘Uh, yeah. Absolutely.’

When they reached the grove, Lily sat down with her back against a tree. Snape sat across from her, a metre away. ‘So . . . what did you want to talk about?’

‘You said that I was a witch,’ Lily said. ‘Can you tell me about it?’

Snape nodded. ‘Sure. When you’re eleven, you get a letter from Hogwarts asking you to attend.’

‘Hogwarts?’

‘It’s the school. Dumbledore’s the Headmaster. He’s also really famous. Just about every witch or wizard knows him.’

‘When do we go?’

‘On the first day of September, there’s a train that takes us there. I think they’ll tell you more about that in your letter.’

Lily adjusted herself and propped her chin on her knees, hugging her legs to her chest. ‘I always knew I was different. I never thought it was magic, though.’

‘Yeah,’ Snape said, agreeing. ‘We’re special.’

There was a comfortable silence, as Lily skimmed through the huge number of questions filling her head. She had no idea what to ask first.

Oh. There was _something_ in particular.

‘Snape?’

He looked up. ‘Severus.’

‘What?’

‘It’s Severus. Snape’s my last name.’

‘Oh. Okay. Well, Severus . . . why isn’t Tuney going?’

Severus chewed his lip, an uncomfortable expression crossing his face. ‘Well . . . she isn’t a witch.’

‘You called her something the other day. Started with M, I think.’

‘A Muggle?’

‘Yeah, that’s it. What’s a Muggle?’

‘They’re non-magical people,’ Severus said officially, as though he had been practising it. ‘Your parents are Muggles, too.’

‘But I’m a witch?’

‘Yeah.’

‘But . . . how does that work?’

Severus paused, thinking over the question. ‘I don’t know, actually.’ He looked up with an apologetic look. ‘Sorry.’

Lily brushed it away with a wave of her hand. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

There was another silence, until Lily broke it with the question that was bothering her the most. ‘We can’t go ‘til we’re eleven, can’t we?’

Severus shook his head glumly. ‘No.’

Suddenly, it occurred to Lily _just_ how long she had been out of the house. ‘Oh no. I need to go.’

She jumped to her feet, and looked back at Severus one more time. ‘One last question.’

He looked at her expectantly, getting to his feet. ‘Sure.’

‘Can we be friends?’

He nodded energetically, beaming. ‘Of course. That’s a great idea.’

Lily grinned. ‘Okay, then. Goodbye.’ With that, she waved and turned, running out of the grove.

* * *

 

After that, two years seemed to fly, with Lily visiting Severus in their grove of trees, talking about Hogwarts and what they would do there. Then, one warm, July morning, there was a knock at the door as the Evans family were cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

‘Get the door please, Lily,’ Rose called as she dipped another plate into the soapy water. Michael didn’t look up from his paper. Petunia handed their mother another stack of dishes.

Lily slid out of her seat and made her way down the hall to the front door, wrapping her dressing gown more tightly around herself. She pulled open the door.

There, standing on the front porch, was a woman wearing emerald robes. Her black hair was pulled up into a tight bun and a pair of spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose. Lily felt her eyes widen to the size of saucers.

‘Erm, hello,’ she murmured timidly. The woman gave her a brief nod.

‘Good morning. Lily, is it?’

‘Yes,’ Lily replied. She wasn’t sure how this woman knew her name. But she was filled with the strangest feeling as she looked up at her . . .

‘Are your parents here?’ the woman asked, snapping her out of her reverie.

‘Yes,’ Lily responded again, stepping aside so she could enter. The woman obliged and stepped into the hallway, looking to the kitchen where noises could still be heard. Lily led her into the kitchen, where her mother looked up from the sink.

‘Good morning,’ the woman said again. ‘My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am here to speak to both you and Lily about her enrolment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’

Rose’s eyes widened, and she dried her hands on a tea towel. ‘So, it’s true then?’ she asked. ‘The school? The magic?’

Minerva nodded and pulled a letter from inside her robes. ‘This is for you,’ she said, handing it to Lily. Rose asked another question, but Lily didn’t hear it. A dull hum had filled her ears, blocking out all sound. She looked at the first side, where written in emerald ink was:

_Miss L. Evans_

_Second Bedroom on the Left_

_27 Nottingshire Place_

_Cokeworth_

She gently turned it over with trembling hands to find a seal on the other side. There was a crest on the seal, split into four quadrants. In each quadrant was a lion, a serpent, a badger and an eagle. She opened the letter and pulled out the thick slip of yellowish parchment. She unfolded it and started reading:

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

 

Lily felt her jaw drop. This was it. She was going to Hogwarts with Severus. _She was going to Hogwarts!_

She looked up, where her mother was still asking questions and Minerva answering them. After about half an hour, when all of the details had been explained and all of the locations pointed out, she left, leaving the whole family (minus Petunia) in a daze.

‘My daughter is a witch . . .’ Rose murmured. ‘My daughter is really a witch . . .’

Lily couldn’t hold it back any more. She let out a squeal and ran to her room, throwing the door shut and tossing the letter onto the bedcovers. She tracked down a sheet of paper and made up a calendar counting down the days until the first of September. She then tacked it to her wall and collapsed onto her bed next to the letter, feeling giddy.

She was going to learn how to use magic. She was going to learn how to make potions. She was going to go with _Severus_. Relishing the thought of enjoying the most amazing experience of her life with her best friend, she grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it, grinning.


	2. Year 1 - Train Rides To New Lives

**_ 2 – Train Rides To New Lives _ **

** Lily **

Petunia was refusing to listen.

‘I’m sorry, Tuney, I’m sorry!’ Lily pleaded, desperately trying to get her to pay her some mind. ‘Listen. Maybe once I’m there – no, listen, Tuney!’ she said as Petunia tried pulling away from her grip. ‘Maybe once I’m there, I’ll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!’

‘I don’t – want – to – go!’ Petunia responded, wrenching her hand out of Lily’s grasp. ‘You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a – a –’

She looked around for a split second before fixing her eyes on Lily’s again, a nasty glare in them.

‘You think I want to be a – a freak?’

Lily almost stepped back, and she felt her eyes beginning to tear up. She sniffled, but didn’t try to stop attempting to reason with her sister.

‘I’m not a freak. That’s a horrible thing to say.’

‘That’s where you’re going,’ Petunia said, obviously delighted to have found an attack point. ‘A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy . . . weirdos, that’s what you two are. It’s good you’re being separated from normal people. It’s for our safety.’

Lily looked over at her parents, and a memory coming fresh into her mind, she turned back to her sister, her voice low. ‘You didn’t think it was such a freak’s school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you.’

The blood went to Tuney’s face and she started to glare herself.

‘Beg? I didn’t beg!’

‘I saw his reply. It was very kind.’

‘You shouldn’t have read –’ whispered Petunia. ‘That was my private – how could you -?’

Lily glanced over towards Severus, who was standing a while away with his mother. She wondered if Tuney knew . . .

She realised she had given herself away when Petunia gasped. ‘That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!’

‘No – no sneaking -’ Lily tried, desperately attempting to explain. ‘Severus saw the envelope, and he couldn’t believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that’s all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of –’

‘Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!’ spat Petunia. ‘ _Freak!_ ’

Before Lily could say anything more, Petunia ran off to their parents.

Closing her eyes and attempting to hold back tears, Lily grabbed her trunk from beside her and made her way over to them, saying her goodbyes. Then, still desperately trying not to cry, she climbed onto the train and collapsed into the nearest empty compartment, lifting her trunk onto the luggage rack. She curled up on her seat and leaned against the window, looking out of it. She barely noticed when a group of boys entered and made themselves comfortable on the seat opposite her.

* * *

 

** Remus **

Remus Lupin pushed his way down the train, keeping his trunk close to him and attempting to navigate his way through the mass of people. The closest to an empty compartment that he had been able to find was one with a girl sitting in it on her own. He decided that it was the best he was going to do. Biting his lip, he pushed open the glass door and poked his head inside.

‘Excuse me. Can I sit here?’

The girl looked up from her book and blushed furiously, getting up and muttering something about leaving for him. Just as she started to tug her trunk off the rack above her head, Remus caught her shirt sleeve.

‘Wait. I’d like it if you stayed here with me.’

The girl’s eyes widened with surprise. It was apparent that she hadn’t been treated like that before. Hesitating slightly, she sat down. Remus heaved his trunk onto the other rack and sat down opposite her.

‘My name’s Remus Lupin,’ he said. He cocked his head in her direction. ‘What’s yours?’

‘Erm, Kayla,’ the girl muttered, still red. ‘Edwards,’ she added as an afterthought.

Remus stuck out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, Kayla.’

Kayla blinked, then shyly shook it. Remus studied her. She was very pretty, with long, dark brown hair that hung to her waist, tied into a ponytail and slung over her shoulder, hazel eyes, a small, pointed nose and full lips. He grinned.

‘Where are you from?’ he asked.

‘B-Bracknell.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ he said, nodding. ‘I know that place. I live in London.’

Kayla nodded and shuffled uncomfortably. Remus felt a strong twinge of sympathy for her. He knew what it felt like to be so antisocial that you didn’t know how to act around people. He made a resolution to try and become friends with Kayla. He had a feeling that she would have trouble finding them for herself.

His eyes wandered down to the book she was holding in her right hand.

‘What are you reading?’ he asked. Kayla looked down at the cover, then back at Remus.

‘Pride and Prejudice.’

‘Do you like it?’

She nodded, and for the first time since they’d met, a small smile began creeping onto her lips. ‘Oh, yes. It’s my favourite.’ He smiled with her. ‘Tell me about it.’

And it was with those words, that Remus learned about Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, and other various characters from the novel. He listened and propped his chin in his hand, watching how Kayla had started off nervous at first, but slowly, ever so slowly, her confidence grew the more she spoke.

After five minutes, when Kayla had given him what they had both deemed a “brief” outline of the story, Remus posed a question that had been sitting on his mind since meeting her.

‘Are you Muggleborn?’

Kayla flushed, and didn’t answer for a moment. Then, she managed a whispered ‘Yes,’ almost like she was ashamed.

Since he didn’t have the slightest problem with that, Remus smiled and replied with, ‘I thought so.’

But after that, Kayla seemed to slip back into her shy state, examining the world around her timidly, and speaking barely above a whisper.

As it started to get dark, Remus asked her what house she wanted to be sorted into. 

‘Well, I would like Ravenclaw, because I like learning, but Gryffindor seems nice as well,’ she murmured, looking out of the window.

‘They would probably be my preferences, too,’ Remus replied. ‘But, I suppose I can only go into Gryffindor, because that’s where dad was. I’m a half-blood, you see.’

Kayla perked up slightly at that response. ‘You’re not . . . _all_ wizard?’

‘Well, no. Of course not,’ Remus laughed. ‘There aren’t many of those left.’

She blinked, and seemed to visibly cheer up, but continued looking into the darkness outside.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marlene McKinnon spotted a familiar head through a glass compartment door, and made her way over to it. Just as she was about to open it, it was pushed open anyway. A redheaded girl who seemed on the verge of tears left, and was followed closely by a stringy, sallow, black haired boy. Marley quirked an eyebrow, but otherwise did not say anything. She pushed through into the compartment, throwing her arms wide with an affectionate “Jamsey!” and wrapped her cousin up in a hug.

‘Woah, hey Marls,’ James responded, tightening the hug to the point of suffocating and grinning. They broke off from each other, and Marley heaved her trunk up onto the luggage rack, her cinnamon toast coloured curls tumbling into her face. She carelessly swept them away and plopped onto the seat, grinning at James.

‘Introduce me to your buddies,’ she said, pointing to the two boys either side of him. ‘Actually, no, just buddy as the singular, I already know Sirius.’ She shot the bloke in question a grin and looked back at James. He laughed, his black hair sticking up in random directions, and ruffled the other boy’s blonde hair affectionately.

‘Peter, Marlene. Marley, Peter.’

Marley stuck out her hand. ‘Pleased to meet you, Pete.’

Peter grinned in response and shook it, replying with his own greeting.

James pointed a thumb at Sirius and said to Marley, ‘his family are Slytherins. Did you know that?’

Marley nodded. ‘Yeah. My dad works with his. I reckon he has a chance at Gryffindor, though. He’s different to the rest of them.’

Sirius grinned. ‘You know, I think that’s the best compliment someone’s ever given me. Cheers, Marls.’ Marley laughed. ‘Cheers.’ She leaned forward and high fived him.

James raised his hand in the air in front of him and also grinned. ‘To Gryffindor!’

‘To Gryffindor!’ they chorused, laughing and whooping.

* * *

 

** Remus **

Kayla was staring into the darkness outside, and Remus sat watching her. He tapped his fingers on his thigh and studied the anxious look in her eyes. The hazel irises were constantly moving, looking anywhere but him. He felt another wave of sympathy wash over him. It was like she had spent the whole of her _entire_ life living in isolation.

He exhaled lightly. That was going to change.

‘You know, I think I should read this “Pride and Prejudice” you really seem to like.’

Kayla blushed slightly. ‘Oh, no. I’m not sure you will . . . like it that much.’

Remus quirked an eyebrow. ‘You sure?’

She nodded. ‘Pretty sure. There’s no fighting or anything. That’s what guys like, isn’t it? Fighting?’

He smiled. ‘Only some. You know, I might just have a feminine side in here.’ He tapped his temple knowingly.

Kayla stifled a giggle. ‘Oh sure. Absolutely.’

‘See?’ Remus said, spreading his arms wide. ‘Even you think so.’

She sniggered. ‘That was _sarcasm_ , Remus. Haven’t you heard sarcasm before?’

He pulled a thoughtful expression and put a finger to his chin. ‘Maybe. Perhaps once or twice before.’

She laughed. It was the first time he had heard her laugh. It was a bright, happy sound, and just hearing it made Remus grin.

‘So you don’t think I should?’ he asked.

Kayla giggled again, before replying, ‘well, I’d like to see you try. Let me know if you ever get through it.’

‘I will, and I will. You’ll see.’

A voice echoed through the train: ‘We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.’

Kayla looked up. ‘Er, do we change, or what?’

Remus shrugged. ‘Just chuck your robes on over the top. We’ll find out later.’ He looked out of the window, where he could see a station in the distance, the streetlamps glowing pleasantly.

The sound of rustling and clunking filled the compartment, followed by an embarrassed ‘Um . . .’

He turned, to see Kayla with her robes half pulled over her head, her shoulders and elbows also stuck inside of the material. Her blue jumper was poking out from underneath.

Remus laughed lightly. ‘Do you need some help?’

‘Erm, yes please,’ came Kayla’s muffled response. He couldn’t see her face, but he had a feeling she was blushing. He grabbed the bottom of the robes and tugged. They shifted slightly, and Kayla began shimmying them past her shoulders. Her head popped out of the neck of the garment, her hair dishevelled and her cheeks bright red. The rest of the robes tumbled into place.

‘I’ve, uh, never worn these before,’ she muttered. ‘And I don’t think you’re supposed to put them on over clothes _this_ thick.’

Remus laughed again. ‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll get the hang of it. And besides,’ he gestured, ‘you’ll be plenty warm.’

Kayla pondered that thought for a second, and nodded. ‘Yes, I suppose so.’

He smiled and patted down some of her hair that had stuck up haphazardly due to the static. She went slightly pink again and raised her own hand to her head. Their fingers touched for a split second and a jolt of static zapped them both, causing them to gasp and draw their hands back. They looked at each other for a moment, and burst out laughing.


	3. Year 1 - The Sorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm gonna post the first five or so chapters. Sue me.

**_ 3 – The Sorting _ **

** Lily **

Lily climbed out of the train with Severus close behind her, and looked around tentatively, wondering where to go. The memory of the black haired boy was still fresh in her mind. He was so arrogant. And he wasn’t very nice, either.

She looked around her, where there was practically no space to move. The crowd of people was huge, and almost everyone was bigger than her. She grabbed Severus’ hand and they began navigating the sea together.

She saw a few people who might have been first-years like themselves; a boy with light brown hair and light blue eyes who was walking with a dark-haired girl clutching a book to her chest, and a girl with long, golden-brown coloured curls that tumbled down her back. These were the only people Lily had been able to clearly see, as almost everything else was hidden by a sea of black.

After a moment of hopeless navigating, a deep voice could be heard through the sound of hundreds of students chattering: Firs’years! Firs’-years! Over ‘ere!’

About thirty metres away, there was a _huge_ man who towered over everyone else. Lily decided not to question his size, as it was probably normal to everyone else, and pulled Severus in his direction.

They came to a stop in front of the giant, who seemed to be twice the size of a normal man with a scraggly black beard, and wearing a moleskin overcoat. Severus looked at the man with an expression of disdain.

‘Yeh firs’-years?’ the man asked. Lily nodded shyly.

‘All righ’,’ the man responded. ‘When the res’ are here, we’ll be on our way.’

After about five minutes, a small collection of students had gathered with them, and they followed the man along a steep, narrow path.

‘Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,’ the man called over his shoulder. ‘Jus’ round this bend here.’

They rounded the side of the cliff, and a collective gasp of awe escaped the group. The castle was sitting on top of a mountain, with what seemed like hundreds of turrets reflecting the moonlight. A lake shimmered, dark and still, below it.

‘ _This_ is Hogwarts?’ Lily asked Severus, her eyes wide. When he nodded, she responded, grinning, ‘it’s amazing!’

‘No more’n four to a boat!’ the man called, pointing to a fleet of small boats sitting on the shore. Lily and Severus looked at each other, and climbed into one. They were soon joined by the brown haired girl and the boy Lily had seen with her.

‘Everyone in?’ the man asked the group. ‘Right then – FORWARD!’

The little group of boats moved off onto the water at the same time, gliding along the surface of the lake. Lily smiled and trailed her hand in the cold water, enjoying the feeling. No one really said anything, except for the boy leaning over and murmuring something in the girl’s ear. Lily brushed a strand of hair out of her face and looked up at a quickly approaching cave. The boats still floated along the water into it, and stopped at a pebble-strewn shore inside of it. Everyone clambered out of their boats and milled around in a group, unsure of what to do. 

The man then instructed them to follow him again and the walked up a passageway out of the cave and onto the grass above. They walked up a set of stone stairs that lead to a huge, oak front door. The man raised a fist and knocked three times on it.

The door swung open without a seconds’ pause. Minerva was standing there, dressed in her green robes, with a pointed hat perched on her head.

‘The firs’-years, Professor McGonagall,’ the man said dutifully.

‘Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.’

‘That beast-man is called _Hagrid_?’ Severus hissed incredulously in Lily’s ear.

‘Be nice,’ she scolded.

Minerva pulled the door open fully to reveal a gigantic Entrance Hall, lit with torches sitting in brackets on the walls. The first years followed her into a small chamber off the hall.

‘Welcome to Hogwarts,’ Minerva said. ‘The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

‘The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

‘The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.’ She left.

Lily turned to Severus. ‘How do they do the Sorting?’ she asked anxiously.

‘Don’t worry,’ he assured her. ‘They just stick a hat on your head. I think.’

She nodded and straightened up her braid, tucking some flyaway strands of hair behind her ear. A small buzz of nervous chatter filled the room. Lily stood quietly and wrung her hands in front of her.

Professor McGonagall returned, halting all of the talking. ‘Please follow me.’

The first years lined up behind her and followed her back into the Entrance Hall, and through another set of double doors.

Faces. That was all that Lily could see. Hundreds of faces staring at them as they made their way in between four long tables and down the middle of the hall, towards a single table at the front, before which a four-legged stool was sitting.

Professor McGonagall placed a patched and frayed hat on top of the stool. Lily looked at it, confused. She had to put _that_ thing on her head?’

Suddenly, completely without warning, the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing. This action startled Lily so much that she never actually absorbed what it was singing _about_. The entire time, the thought that was running through her head was “a singing hat. A singing hat. _A singing hat!_ ”

She blinked as the hat stopped and the whole hall rung with applause. She looked at Severus with wide eyes.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a scroll of parchment. ‘When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.’

‘Bones, Amelia.’

A girl with her dark hair pulled into a plait walked towards the stool, trembling slightly. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It seemed to think for a moment, before the brim opened and the hat shouted ‘HUFFLEPUFF!’

The table on the right cheered, and Amelia pulled the hat off her head and walked over to it.

‘Black, Sirius.’

One of the three boys Lily had seen in her compartment earlier walked over to the stool, looking a bit depressed. She could have sworn she heard him mutter, ‘And another Black for Slytherin.’

Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head, where it didn’t say anything for almost a full minute. Then, completely out of the blue, it shouted ‘GRYFFINDOR!’

The grin that split Sirius’ face couldn’t have been any brighter; he ripped the hat of and bounded down to the Gryffindor table on the far left.

‘Diggory, Amos.’

A blond haired boy with blue eyes walked confidently over to the stool, and sat the hat on his head. The hat didn’t even hesitate to shout ‘HUFFLEPUFF!’

The list ran through, where, ‘Edwards, Kayla’ became the second Gryffindor. Then, it was Lily’s turn.

‘Evans, Lily.’

She walked forward on trembling legs and perched on the edge of the stool, where Professor McGonagall dropped the hat onto her head.

‘GRYFFINDOR!’

The bellow filled Lily’s ears and she jumped up, pulling it off her head and placing it on the stood. The whole of the Gryffindor table began cheering and she felt herself blushing. She began hurrying down to the table, and shot a quick glance at Severus as she did so. He looked rather disappointed. She gave him an apologetic smile and continued on her way. Sirius moved over to make some room for her, but feeling disgusted as she looked at him, the memory of the event on the train still fresh in her mind, she folded her arms and sat further down the table. Shortly after, she was joined by ‘McKinnon, Marlene.’

Marlene was the girl with the golden-brown hair she had seen earlier, and she seemed extremely happy to have been placed in Gryffindor. She plopped down on the bench beside Lily and grinned. ‘Hey, roomie!’

Lily blinked. ‘Roomie?’

‘Yeah. We’re gonna be sharing a dormitory.’ She beamed. ‘Pretty awesome, eh?’

Lily couldn’t stop the smile that started to make its way onto her face. ‘I suppose so, yes.’

Marlene stuck out her hand. ‘Marlene McKinnon, as you’d probably already know, but you can call me Marley. I like it better.’

Lily laughed and shook her hand. ‘Okay, then. Well, Marley, I’m Lily Evans. Pleased to meet you.’

Marley laughed. ‘Pleased to meet you, too.’

Lily looked down the table, where Sirius had been joined by the boy with the light brown hair. Up at the teacher’s table, ‘Pettigrew, Peter’ had just been sorted into Gryffindor. He scurried down to their table and sat with the boys.

‘Potter, James.’

The black haired boy Lily had met on the train seemed to practically strut up to the stool and put the hat on his head. The material had barely touched an unruly hair on his head when it screamed, ‘GRYFFINDOR!’

James grinned and jumped off the stool, receiving a huge rumble of applause, and came down to the table, sitting beside Sirius.

Lily pursed her lips and turned her head away, back to Marley. ‘Are you a pure blood?’

She nodded. ‘James is my cousin and I already know Sirius. But what about you?’

‘I’m Muggle born.’

Marley grinned. ‘Cool! I’ve never met a Muggle born before. What’s it like?’

Lily blinked. She had never really assumed her way of being brought up was anything special, but she supposed from a wizard’s (or witch’s) point of view, it was probably like coming from another planet.

She shrugged. ‘It’s all right, I suppose.’

Marley picked up a fork in front of her hand twirled it between her fingers. ‘Do they follow Quidditch where you come from?’

‘Do we follow _what_?’

Marley gasped. ‘Don’t tell me you don’t know what Quidditch is!’

‘Erm . . .’

‘I _have_ to get you into it! It’s only the best sport ever invented!’

Lily stared confusedly. ‘Okay . . .’

Marley instantly launched into a detailed description of the game, explaining various balls and positions on the field, etcetera, etcetera, and by the time that the Sorting had finished, Lily still wasn’t any more enlightened than she had been earlier. She pretended to be however, and that made Marley happy.

A man at the teacher’s table stood up. His hair and beard were silver, and very long. He wore a pair of half-moon spectacles that perched on the bridge of his nose, and he was dressed in midnight blue robes.

‘That’s Albus Dumbledore,’ Marley hissed, as the hall went quiet. ‘You _have_ to have heard of him.’

Lily nodded, remembering his name from the letter she had received all those weeks ago.

Dumbledore spread his arms wide, beaming. ‘Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I will not be cruel enough to distract you all from the feast I know you are so keen to demolish, so all I can say is: enjoy!’

Instantly, the gold platters in front of them filled up with all of the foods that Lily could imagine. She gasped and looked at Marley in stunned awe, who was already piling a healthy serving of rice onto her plate.

‘You heard the man,’ she said. ‘I’m hungry!’

Lily laughed in assent and began forking some roast chicken onto her plate.

The feast was a pleasant affair, where Lily discovered that a popular drink among wizards was _pumpkin juice_. When she had first seen it, assuming it was orange juice, she poured it into a goblet and took a reasonable sized sip. The taste however, was far from orange. It wasn’t unpleasant however, so she swallowed it.

‘Is this . . .’ she asked, her eyes wide, ‘pumpkin?’

Marley nodded, happily slicing up some boiled potatoes. ‘Haven’t you had pumpkin juice before?’

‘No.’

‘Well,’ Marley said, setting down her fork and giving Lily a mock-stern look. ‘I have a _lot_ to teach you about.’

Lily laughed. ‘Yes ma’am.’

After everyone had finished with dinner, the remains of the food faded away leaving the plates cleaner than any dish should be. Then, the dessert appeared. Instantly, Lily dove into the apple tart, serving herself a large portion and dishing up some ice cream with it.

When the last of the dessert had also been eaten, the dishes cleaned themselves once again, and Dumbledore stood up, this time for a more official speech.

‘I hope that the food was to your liking,’ he said, smiling as he looked around the hall. ‘I have a few more words for the present moment. First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds at all times, and that magic should not be used in the corridors between classes.

‘Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their team should contact Madam Hooch.’

He ran through a few more notices, and then dismissed them to their dormitories.

Lily and Marley got out of their seats and looked around, wondering where to go.

‘First years! Follow me, please.’

They turned to see a tall girl with her blonde hair swept into a messy plait was the one who was calling. They walked over to her. The girl smiled at them.

‘Hi. I’m Emmeline Vance, Gryffindor Prefect. Follow me, please.’

Lily and Marley looked at each other and trotted after her, following her out of the Great Hall and up some staircases. The other Gryffindor first years also came.

After a few minutes of taking various paths, they came to a stop outside of a giant portrait of a lady wearing a pink dress. Emmeline turned to the group.

‘This is the Fat Lady. Her portrait is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Every month there is a new password.’ She turned to the portrait. ‘ _Aperto prego.’_

The Fat Lady nodded and the portrait swung open, revealing the room behind her. They climbed into it and looked around. It was a cosy, round room full of armchairs. A fireplace burned at one end.

‘Girls, take this staircase, and boys, take the one over there,’ Emmeline directed. ‘Your dormitories have a sign on the door, so you’ll know.’

Lily and Marley made their way up the spiral staircase with three other girls, and went through the door with a plaque that read _First Year_. Lily pushed open the door to reveal a round room with five beds all placed evenly around the edge, each with the owner’s trunk sitting at the foot of the bed. Lily spotted hers directly opposite the door and made a beeline for it. Marley plopped down on the bed beside her. Lily grinned, and waved goodnight to Marley and tugged the curtains around the four poster. She leaned over the end of her bed and pulled a pair of pyjamas out of her trunk. She pulled them on and climbed under the covers, staring at the ceiling. She was _at_ Hogwarts.

This was the start of everything.


	4. Year 1 - The Wars of the Morning

**_ 4 – The Wars of the Morning _ **

** Marlene **

Marley woke up fairly early the next day; the sun was only partially lighting the grounds outside. She stretched and yawned, and made a bit of a show of waking herself up, ruffling her hair so it stuck out in different directions à la James. She looked around sleepily, where the dormitory was still mostly dark. With another gigantic yawn, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and promptly tumbled off with them when the momentum threw her too far.

‘Agh!’

She grabbed around wildly, her hands closing on some material and pulling it over. Her head knocked onto part of Lily’s bed frame and her curtains were pulled partially open, causing the whole bed to creak. Rubbing her head and muttering under her breath, Marley sat herself on her bum in the middle of the nest of upturned quilts on the floor. One of Lily’s eyes cracked open.

‘Marley?’ she mumbled, slightly inaudible.

Marley shook her head and got to her feet, carelessly tossing the quilts back onto her bed. ‘Unless you’re a natural dawn-riser, go back to sleep, Lil.’

‘Dawn-riser? No thank you.’ With that, Lily buried her face back into her pillow.

Marley grimaced and rubbed her eyes. She looked around the dormitory, taking in the sight. Last night she had been so keen to crash that she had never looked at anything. The room was in one of the towers (duh), thus making the room round. Three of the five beds had the curtains pulled around them, so she had no idea who their other roommates were. There were two large cupboards at opposite ends of the room and a big, red rug was positioned in the middle of the wooden floor. A second door was beside one of the cupboards.

Marley pulled open her trunk and grabbed out her robes and some clothes. She _so_ was getting the shower first.

Ten minutes and a refreshing shower later, Marley came out of the bathroom with wet, braided hair and dressed in her robes. And there, sitting on a bed with recently drawn back bed curtains, was Claire Winters.

The blonde in question’s eyes widened as she saw Marley, and her mouth set itself into a sneer.

‘Well. I suppose I had to expect to see you around here _somewhere_ , Marlene.’

‘Nice to see you too, Claire,’ Marley muttered sarcastically. ‘Where’s your twin demon?’

Claire scoffed. ‘Imogen?’ She jabbed a careless thumb to the bed beside her.

Marley rolled her eyes. ‘Oh yes. I see. Can’t be separated, can you?’

Claire and Imogen were cousins/best friends/partners in evil, and Marley was ashamed to say that she was (somehow) distantly related to them. _Somehow_.  Personally, she found James a more appropriate relative, and, however much she may or may not adore him, he was a complete and utter prat. That was putting it lightly.

Thankfully, you couldn’t instantly tell that Marley was related to either of the girls. Claire was your typical, almost stereotype blonde, with straight hair that reached her mid-back, cold, blue eyes, and the air of being a Daddy’s Girl, thus having every wish catered to. Imogen was different in the looks category, but exactly the same when it came to personality. Imogen had a head of strawberry blonde hair that she always felt the need to stick into a braid of sorts. She had hazel eyes like James, and the same spoiled aura as Claire. Marley hated the pair of them.

Claire hopped off her bed, rising about two inches higher than Marley, and put a hand on her hip, inspecting her nails on the other. ‘Is there anything you want, _Marlene_?’

Marley scoffed. ‘From you? No. I’m sure you couldn’t bear to waste your precious time on the likes of _me._ Definitely not. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way with no more interruptions, if you please.’ She flipped her still-dripping hair over her shoulder in what she deemed a pretty good imitation of Claire, and sashayed over to her bed, hopping in and pulling the curtains around herself.

She spent the next half hour there, after which someone else rose, giving herself cause to resurface. She poked her head through the red material, where a brown haired girl had just shut the bathroom door behind herself. Marley blinked and looked out the window, where the sun was a reasonable height in the sky. Lily was still asleep. Marley grabbed her pillow and chucked it at her head. ‘Up, up, _up_ , Lil!’

Lily groaned and rolled over, waving an arm vaguely in Marley’s direction. The sound that came out of her mouth went something like ‘ . . mgetn . . . up . . .’

Marley jumped off her bed. ‘Noo _ooo_. You will get up _now_. I’m hungry, and I want company at breakfast.’

Lily mumbled something again, and Marley grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her, blankets and all, into a heap on the ground. Lily squawked and flailed wildly.

‘Now you’re up,’ Marley said smugly.

Lily’s face was buried in her blankets. ‘You are a _cow_. You know that?’

‘Heard it too many times to count. Now, come on. Up!’

Lily grumbled, but her head popped above the sheets. Her hair was a dishevelled mess - the dark red was knotty and static had caused it to stand up in random directions. Her emerald eyes fixed with Marley’s amber ones, looking thoroughly irritated. Marley grinned and stuck out her hands, giving her the option of being helped up. Lily took them and clambered to her feet.

‘There,’ she muttered. ‘I’m up now. Happy?’

Marley tutted. ‘Gee, Lil. I thought you were _nice_.’ She grinned teasingly. Lily rubbed one side of her face tiredly.

‘Not when people wake me up like you do,’ she replied glumly. Marley laughed.

‘Well, _hey._ I got you up successfully, didn’t I? I didn’t leave you rolling around in bed for another half hour. Anyway, it’s seven. I want breakfast.’

Lily pondered the idea, blinking lazily. ‘Mmm. Breakfast.’

The bathroom door swung open again and the brown haired girl stepped out, also wearing her robes. She halted at the sight of Lily and Marley and her eyes widened. She muttered a hurried apology, dumped her pyjamas on her bed, and fled. She pulled open the door to the staircase and shot past Claire and Imogen, who were on the stairs, and out of sight.

‘Well, there’s an oddball and a half,’ Imogen stated bluntly.

‘Introductions please, Marlene,’ Claire demanded, looking distastefully at Lily and her rat’s nest hair.

Marley sighed. ‘Lily, they’re Claire and Imogen Winters. Somehow, they’re related to _me_ , not Satan.’

Imogen clucked disapprovingly and Claire rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah. Heard it before.’

Marley grabbed Lily by the shoulders and steered her into the bathroom, locking the door behind them.

‘A word of warning,’ she started. ‘Those two will give you hell if you let them. Sass them as much as possible and you’ll get through life a little easier.’

Lily nodded slowly. ‘That’s not very . . . nice, though. Maybe they can change?’

Marley laughed dryly. ‘Yeah. _That’s_ going to happen.’

Lily pursed her lips. ‘There’s potential.’

Marley shook her head, some loose curls framing her face bobbing crazily. ‘No, no, no. Just leave them Lil, and when you have to, let them know you’re not taking any rubbish from them. Trust me. I know them. They’re _my_ ever-so-distant cousins.’

‘Ever-so-distant?’

She waved it away impatiently. ‘Something happened, I dunno. Probably the spawn of some uncle’s long lost relations. _Two_ sets of long lost relations.’

‘Erm . . .’

‘Don’t worry. I never bothered to actually figure it out.’

‘Right.’

Marley reached over and combed a tangle out of Lily’s hair. ‘Get yourself fixed up. My stomach isn’t willing to wait a long time.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

In the boys’ dormitory, Remus had his head buried in his Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook. Loud snoring could be heard through his bed hangings, emphasising that everyone else in the dorm were heavy sleepers. He spared his watch a quick glance at his watch – 7:03 – and turned back to the chapter. He was considering getting breakfast soon, even though he wasn’t particularly hungry. A severe disadvantage of being a werewolf – other than being shunned from most of society – was that sometimes he had an extreme lack of appetite. He blamed it on the ill feeling he generally got towards the end of the month and the beginning of the next.

A halted snore and a grunt came from the bed next to him, and the sounds of a thump and a scuffle ensued. Remus poked his head around the curtains.

There, sprawled out on the floor, and apparently in a rather intense battle, lay two of the boys he had seen at the Sorting last night. They both had black hair of varying lengths, and one was blinking as though he couldn’t see properly. Remus was pretty sure that he was supposed to have glasses.

‘Aww, come off it Sirius! I was sleeping!’ the shorter haired boy complained.

‘Told you I’d do it, James,’ the other responded.

‘I didn’t want to be jumped on, though!’ James groaned.

‘Don’t bet you I won’t wake up before you, then.’

An eyebrow had long since begun travelling up Remus’ forehead. The boys continued their scuffle, flopping around like a pair of fish on the rug in the middle of the room, where several possessions and garments were already strewn.

‘What the . . . – James? Sirius?’

A blonde haired boy was also looking out from between his bed curtains, looking just as confused as Remus felt.

‘Hey, Pete,’ James grunted out.  ‘Don’t -’ A grunt here. ‘- mind us.’ An _oof_ there.

Remus exchanged an incredulous look with the boy and they both climbed out of their beds, coming to stand beside the scuffle. After a while, Sirius finally extracted himself from their wrestling match and got to his feet, dusting himself off. James stood up seconds after. They both grinned.

‘Needed that,’ Sirius said in response to Remus’ questioning expression.

‘ _Why?_ ’

‘Sirius told me yesterday that he likes to sleep in,’ James began, cracking his neck. ‘And I do too, you see. So I said, “If you wake up before me, you can do what you want.” _This_ was his idea of “do what you want.”’

Remus nodded. ‘I’m going to assume this is normal, then?’

James grinned again. ‘Go ahead.’ He wandered over to his bedside table and put on his glasses, apparently happy to be able to see properly again.

Sirius stuck out his hand to Remus. ‘Sirius Black.’

Remus took it and shook. ‘Remus Lupin.’

Sirius grinned and gestured to the other two boys. ‘That’s James Potter, and over _there_ ,’ he leaned sideways to point to the blonde boy, who was now beside his bed and out of Sirius’ line of sight. ‘Peter Pettigrew.’

Both boys waved in acknowledgement as Sirius said their names, and James slipped over a stray shirt in his haste to shake Remus’ hand. He landed on the floor with an _oomph_ and winced as his backside hit the floor. He accepted Remus’ offer to help him up then energetically shook his hand, grinning again.

‘Well lads, now that’s over, I’m hungry!’ Sirius announced. There were instant responses of agreement to that statement and within the next four and a half seconds, trunks had been shoved open and more garments flung through the air.

* * *

 

** James **

They made it down to the Great Hall in what seemed like record time to James. Being unjustly tackled and woken up wasn’t generally a way that he was used to starting the morning, and that sort of thing evidently made a bloke very hungry.

The four of them sprinted into the half-filled hall and made a beeline straight for the food. They crowded together onto the bench, all looking considerably happier than most, who apparently weren’t morning people.

Halfway through his plate of eggs, bacon and toast, Professor McGonagall (he had learnt her name from a sour fourth year troublemaker, who had gotten straight back onto her bad side within hours of arriving) swept among the Gryffindors, handing out timetables as she did so. James accepted his without looking at it and instead looked up and down the table.

Ah. There she was.

Red.

Well, in all honesty, he didn’t know her name. All he knew was that he managed to brass her off royally on the train yesterday. He wondered how much he could test her temper. And in the meantime, until he learnt it, Red could be her name.

She was happily chatting with Marley, a chunk of pancake sitting forgotten on her fork. Her eyes were _really_ green, James noticed. Green, like . . . emeralds, perhaps. Her skin was pale, too, with a light scattering of freckles across her nose. Hmm.

She looked around at that moment and her eyes met James’. They narrowed dangerously and she immediately turned away, her nose in the air. James sniggered. Day two had barely started and here they were.

‘Oi! James.’ Sirius prodded him in the cheek with a sticky, syrupy fork. James yelped in indignation, bringing his hand to his face, trying to wipe away the mess. Sirius laughed.

‘Come on, we’re going.’

James grumbled and grabbed some napkins. Remus hauled a satchel over his shoulder.

‘We’ve got History of Magic first.’

Both Sirius and James groaned.

Half an hour later, they had located the classroom and joined the growing queue outside. A small cluster of Ravenclaws who also had the same subject were animatedly talking about the last Quidditch game – England verses France. France had been thrashed horribly, and James was proud to say that he and his father had Top Box seats, supporting England. He had intentions to join the team when he left Hogwarts, and hadn’t missed a single game since his fourth birthday. He had learnt to fly soon after and wasn’t modest in the slightest when thinking of himself as a professional. He knew that when he was on the Gryffindor team next year – and he _was_ going to be on it – he was going to try out as a Chaser. It was the position that he played best.

His train of though was interrupted by a ghost passing through the classroom door, looking partially asleep. The ghost mumbled something about them being allowed to enter, and floated back through the door again. Remus pushed open the door and everyone filed in rowdily.

The ghost informed them that his name was Professor Binns and that they were to start taking notes. Without further ado, he began droning on about the goblin rebellion of 1398.

* * *

 

** Remus **

For the first ten minutes of that lesson, Remus had paid some attention. When it became obvious that he was going to learn more from a log of wood however, his mind had wandered elsewhere.

Kayla was sitting in the row in front of him, her hair reflecting the light coming through the window, diligently taking notes.

Remus was extremely confused.

When the train had arrived at the station yesterday, Kayla had snapped back into her antisocial state, jumping up and making a run for it. When he had recovered from that slight shock - he thought he had finally made her feel comfortable – he ran after her. She might have gotten away completely, but he caught her at the boats, grabbing her hand lightly. Kayla had practically jumped a mile in the air and whirled around to Remus, her eyes wide.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked gently. Kayla didn’t reply, but turned rather pink-cheeked. He accepted her silence for the moment, and gestured for her to get in the boat with him. She hesitated, then sat down gingerly. The boats took off into the water, and they sat in silence.

When Hagrid called, announcing that they were about to see Hogwarts, he leaned over.

‘You’re going to like this,’ he whispered. Kayla looked confused for a moment, then her eyes widened in awe as they rounded the corner. Her lips parted, mouthing words of astonishment that never came out. Remus knew that he’d be lying if he didn’t say that was one of the most satisfying sights he had ever seen. The fact that she had forgotten her discomfort for a moment – well, it made him feel pretty good inside.

She turned to Remus, her eyes shining. ‘Look at it!’ she whispered. Remus grinned.

‘I know,’ he murmured back. ‘It’s great, isn’t it?’

She nodded, her eyes delightedly surveying the turrets and towers, the windows sparkling in the moonlight.

They managed to out of the boat and walk up to the castle together, but Kayla hadn’t tried to run again. Remus was extremely relieved. After the Sorting, he sat down at the Gryffindor table with her, and they talked about books the entire time. It was one thing they definitely had in common. When the feast ended however, Remus was swept up in a crowd of Gryffindors, all on their way to the tower. Kayla had disappeared . . . again.

Feeling incredibly disappointed, he had followed the group to the common room and curtained himself in his bed, not really noticing when anyone else came in.

And now he sat, studying the back of her head in the middle of a History class. He had no idea why she kept on running away from him. He was trying his hardest, but she wasn’t making it any easier for him. It was like trying to catch a piece of paper in a heavy wind – sometime he would grab it, and just when he thought he had a proper grip on it, it would be ripped out of his grasp again.

He frowned, and tapped his quill against his ink pot. He wasn’t giving up any time soon, though. He was going to catch Kayla, and when he put his mind to something, it didn’t follow another track until he had done it. 


	5. Year 1 - James Potter, King of the Prats

**_ Chapter 5 – James Potter, King Of The Prats _ **

** Lily **

After History, the Gryffindors had Potions. Lily could easily say that this was what she had been looking forwards to the most, for two whole years.

‘Sev!’

Her books bouncing around crazily in a satchel on her hip, Lily caught up to Severus on her way to class. He turned around, and grinned when he saw her.

‘Hey, Lily.’

‘You have Potions, don’t you?’

Severus nodded. ‘Yeah. Do you?’

Lily beamed. ‘This is great! We can sit together!’

He looked uncomfortable suddenly, and didn’t quite meet her eyes when he spoke. ‘Um, actually, I said I’d with some boys from my house.’ He still didn’t look up. ‘Sorry, Lily.’

Lily’s smile fell slightly, but she nodded understandingly. ‘It’s okay. I’ll go sit with Marley instead.’

Severus nodded. ‘Okay.’

They walked together into the dungeons and walked into the classroom with everyone else, before parting ways. Lily sat down at a bench next to Marley, while Severus went over to some Slytherin boys on the other side of the room.

Marley leaned over to her. ‘What were you doing with that Slytherin guy?’

Lily frowned. ‘He’s my friend.’

Marley looked considerably surprised at that statement. ‘Oh. Really?’

Lily cocked her head to the side. ‘What’s odd about it?’

‘It’s just that almost every Slytherin is prejudiced against Muggleborns.’

Lily chewed her lip. ‘But Sev said that it didn’t matter.’

Marley shrugged. ‘Well, it doesn’t, but a lot of pure-bloods and about ninety nine percent of the Slytherin population think that it does.’

Lily felt her stomach sink all the way into her toes, and she looked down at the desk surface sadly. Marley prodded her in the side with her elbow.

‘Oh, come on, Lil,’ she said with a little too much gusto. ‘Those people don’t matter anyway, if they think that. Personally, I think you’re awesome.’

Lily managed a smile. ‘Thanks, Marley.’

The low hum of voices halted with the door creaking open. Lily looked up to see a pot-bellied man with balding, ginger hair and a bushy moustache. The man beamed upon seeing them all.

‘Well, if it’s not my next batch of first years,’ he cried jovially. ‘And how are you all?’

There was a slight murmur of response to this question and a few students shuffled uncomfortably, obviously baffled by the teacher’s pleasant attitude.

‘Now, now,’ the teacher reprimanded them, shaking a stubby finger. ‘No need for such a lack of enthusiasm. I am Professor Slughorn.’

There was another collective murmur of greeting as Professor Slughorn moved around to the front of the classroom, waving his wand and producing a scroll of parchment from thin air. ‘How about I take the roll now, then?’

Over the next few minutes, he read out names from his scroll of parchment and looked up as each student answered, greeting each one more energetically than they did.

‘Now we can get down to business,’ he finally said, putting down his parchment and rubbing his hands together. ‘If you open your textbooks to page two hundred and thirty eight . . .’

* * *

 

‘That was _fun_ ,’ Marley said dryly as they exited the dungeons forty five minutes later. She brushed some soot off her sleeve. ‘If I wanted to become charcoal, I’d ask.’

‘Oh, come on Marley,’ Lily said. ‘It wasn’t too bad. And now,’ she added, with an air of positive attitude, ‘you know for next time that mandrake root and silverleaf leaves don’t work together without causing chaos.’

Marley grumbled and folded her arms crossly, her blackened curls tumbling in her face. They walked in silence for a few minutes before she cried out: ‘It’s not my fault I’m an excellent flame conductor!’

‘At least you didn’t properly catch fire,’ Lily said reasonably.

‘Yeah, well . . .’

Marley stopped and looked up. ‘James!’

Lily paused. Who?

And then _it_ arrived. The black haired boy with the glasses was standing in front of them, grinning. ‘Marls!’

Marley laughed and flung her arms around the boy’s shoulders, hugging him. ‘Long time, no see!’

‘I saw you _yesterday_ , Marley.’

‘I know.’

Lily frowned. This boy . . . was James. As in, Marley’s cousin, James. Marley had talked about him a lot in twenty four hours. Lily had supposed that he was the only decent relative that she had.

But . . . he had been horrible, and arrogant, and just about everything that Lily didn’t like. But here Marley was, holding him up in the highest light, like he was some sort of great person. Lily frowned.

James broke off from Marley, and looked over her shoulder at Lily. ‘Hey, Red!’

Red?

_RED?_

Lily shot him a scathing look and turned on her heel, looking away from him

‘Her name’s _Lily_ ,’ Marley reprimanded him.

She could practically _hear_ James grinning from the tone he used. ‘Ah, okay. Oh well, I like Red, too. I might keep using it. Or maybe I can give it to Sirius. I know he’ll use it.’

‘That’s a dangerous idea . . .’

‘Red!’

Lily stuck her nose in the air, still looking away from him. ‘I’m sorry, but are you talking to _me_?’

‘Maybe.’ He was _still_ grinning. She could tell.

Finally, with an irritated huff, she turned back around to face him. ‘It’s good that you let me know this, but the thing is, I probably won’t reply to Red, because my name is Lily. _LI-LY_.’

James smirked. ‘Gotcha. How about a surname, then?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘What’s your last name?’

‘Evans,’ she said stiffly.

‘Evans,’ he repeated, quirking an eyebrow.

‘Yes. _Evans_. Do you have a problem with it?’

‘I do actually,’ he replied smoothly. ‘I think you should change it.’

‘ _Excuse me?_ ’

‘I mean, it’s terrible, really. I know some better alternatives.’

‘What? Wait – James!’

But James had already turned and had begun walking off, a satisfied smirk on his face.

‘What’s his last name?’ Lily asked Marley quickly, watching his retreating back.

‘Potter.’

‘Thanks. _James Potter, you get back here RIGHT NOW!’_

But James only laughed and waved a hand over his shoulder. ‘Pleasure meeting you, Evans!’

Lily growled, and turned to Marley, who was grinning.

‘What?’ she cried at Lily’s pointed look. ‘He _is_ a prat, but he’s great once you get to know him.’

Lily snorted in disdain. ‘Great. Sure.’

‘He _is_.’

‘Come on. Let’s go to lunch. I’m hungry,’ said Lily, making sure her tone said that the conversation was closed.

* * *

 

** Remus **

Remus poked his head around the library door frame, his eyes scanning up and down the shelves. _Here_ was a possibility. He walked into the room and gave the hawk-eyed librarian a nervous grin, before setting off on his quest. Damn, this library was _big_. He passed the Charms and Transfiguration section, peering down the aisles, but not finding anything more than a handful of keen seventh years already beginning their NEWT studies. Biting his lower lip, he began searching along other sections.

Potions . . .

History . . .

Ancient Runes . . .

Astronomy – wait.

He stopped suddenly and craned his neck, looking past a desk pushed in front of a bookshelf. In a little armchair in the corner at the very end of the aisle was a glossy brown head of hair. The sunlight streamed in through the window just above, and piles of books surrounded the armchair like a nest Cracking a small smile, Remus made his way down the row and pretended to be browsing books. Kayla didn’t look up.

‘Nice little home you’ve got here.’

She jumped violently at his voice and looked up like a startled deer.

‘I - I’m sorry,’ she stuttered. ‘Do you want me to leave?’

Remus laughed lightly. ‘ _No_ , silly. In fact, it would be nice if you stopped disappearing.’

Kayla blinked owlishly.

‘Erm . . .’ she began.

Remus strode over to her and pulled a rickety wooden chair from under the desk as he did so. He set it down and sat opposite her, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees.

‘What keeps scaring you off?’

‘Um . . .’

Remus raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you not like people, or something?’

‘ . . . Sort of.’

‘Sort of?’

‘Well . . .’ Kayla mumbled. ‘I’ve never really had friends, so . . . I’m just not used to them, I guess.’

‘ _What?_ ’

‘I know, terrible sob story!’ she cried, throwing her hands up in defeat.

‘No, I mean, how could you _not_ have friends?’

She gave him a deadpan expression.

‘I mean, _come on_ , you’re nice, you’re funny, you’re smart, you’re pretty –’

Now it was Kayla’s turn to cry out in surprise. ‘ _Pretty?_ I’m sorry, Remus Lupin, but you –,’ she gave him a pointed look, - ‘are completely off your rocker.

Remus crossed his arms defensively. ‘No I’m not. And you know why?’

Kayla quirked an eyebrow, still wearing an unbelieving expression. ‘Why?’

‘Because it’s _true_.’

She pondered this for a second, flushing crimson as she did so. ‘Well, no. And I have some statements that can completely throw your _theory_ off balance.’

He pulled a face. ‘It’s not a theory!’

‘First of all,’ Kayla began, ignoring him completely, ‘you’ve known me for a day. You have no idea if I’m completely nice. For all you know, I’m a demon in disguise.’

Remus snorted disbelievingly. ‘Uh huh. Demon in aisle three, everyone. Watch out.’

‘Second of all,’ she continued, ‘how am I _funny?_ I don’t talk to people, so how does that work?’

‘You do it without intending,’ Remus countered immediately, grinning inwardly at his quick response.

‘Huh. Well, thirdly, as for being smart, for all you know, I could _pay_ someone to do the work for me.’

She gave him a satisfied smirk as if to say: _Beat that one_.

Remus laughed. ‘Oh, sure. You pay someone to do your work, yet you do another copy for yourself _and_ extra homework.’ He pointed to the nest of books, where sheets of parchment containing the set Potions assignment rested. Kayla flushed again at that.

‘Well, _lastly_ ,’ she said, raising her voice slightly, ‘ _how the hell am I_ pretty _?_ ’

Remus grinned. ‘That’s so easy to answer, I’m surprised you don’t see it for yourself.’

The colour Kayla turned this time was almost impossible to describe, she was blushing so heavily.

‘Just . . . just – shut up,’ she mumbled.

‘So,’ Remus said, leaning forward and punching her lightly on the shoulder, ‘I think I won that one.’

Kayla smiled slightly, still pink-cheeked. ‘Maybe.’

‘ _No,_ definitely.’

‘Oh, fine. You win. Happy?’

Remus grinned.

A loud bell signalling the end of lunch break rung then, and Kayla jumped up like she’d been electrocuted, cramming all of her books into her satchel and disappearing without another word.

What?

Come on! He was being nice! _Really_ nice! And . . . overly friendly, but that wasn't the point.

Remus gave a groan and slumped back in his seat. _So_ close.


	6. Year 1 - Halloween And Pumpkins

**_ Chapter 6 – Halloween And Pumpkins _ **

** Lily **

To Lily, time almost seemed to fly now. Hogwarts was always offering new opportunities and things to do. She was never bored. Whenever she felt like it, she would borrow a book from the library for “light reading” or she and Marley would go on an escapade through the grounds (and for some _odd_ reason, they always seemed to end with them almost disappearing into the Forbidden Forest). Potter was still a prat, desperate to harass Lily as much as possible, but really, she had gotten used to it. Her reasonably bright intellect had always managed to reply with a witty statement that left him confused, and she and Marley would walk off laughing.

She and Severus always did their homework together every afternoon in their own corner of the library, chatting about lessons. Granted, he had grown slightly more distant since they had arrived, and he spent a lot of his time with a group of surly looking house members, but Lily wasn’t a clingy person. He was allowed to have other friends and do what he wanted.

Lily had surprised herself considerably in her classes. Because she was Muggleborn, she had expected that she would be behind the rest of the year. That however, apparently wasn’t the case. Charms and Potions in particular had brought out a side to her that breezed through the subjects easily. Both Professors Flitwick and Slughorn marvelled at her ability, and though Lily was rather modest about it all, she couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

The day before Halloween, Lily and Marley were sitting in the Great Hall, eating their lunch, when the foursome plopped down on the bench opposite them.

‘Greetings, ladies,’ Sirius said with a grin. ‘And how are we this fine night?’

Lily quirked an eyebrow. ‘I’m well, thank you.’

Marley grinned back at him. ‘And what about you, huh?’

Sirius puffed out his chest proudly. ‘Absolutely magnificent, my dear,’ he said, putting on a posh accent. ‘I am delighted that you asked.’

Marley laughed. ‘Alrighty, then. What’s got you in such a good mood?’

Sirius looked around, then beckoned Marley closer with his finger. Her cast Lily a glance too, and grinned. ‘I s’pose you can know too, Red, if you promise not to say anything.’

Lily chewed her lip, thinking, but nodded as curiosity got the better of her. She and Marley leaned over the table towards him.

‘We’ve got a nice little prank planned for tomorrow,’ Sirius said with a grin. ‘Be here at six forty-five if you wanna see it.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Now, now, Marls, that’ll spoil the surprise. You’ve got to wait.’

Marley pouted, and folded her arms, sitting back in her seat. ‘Oh, come on Sirius!’

Sirius shook his head, still grinning. ‘Nope. It’s confined to the Marauders only.’

‘So _that’s_ your little group’s pet name?’

‘Psh. Little group? We are daring adventurers, finding things that have been hidden for centuries! We search for what others do not dare! _We_ are –’

Marley stuck a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of his speech. ‘Okay, okay. I got the picture. But if you call staying out after curfew and getting a handful of detentions every other day being a _daring adventurer_ , go right ahead.’

Potter leaned over. ‘Of course we do, Marley! We’ve already found three passages out of the school!’

Lily blinked. ‘Three? But we’ve only been here two months!’

Potter wagged his finger. ‘A magician never reveals his tricks . . . or something like that,’ he said, frowning as he thought. ‘I think . . .’

Lily shook her head. ‘It’s “a magician never reveals his _secrets_ ”, Potter.’

He grinned. ‘Yeah. That’s it!’

Lily snickered and rolled her eyes while Potter grinned happily to himself.

‘Good job, Bright Sparks,’ Marley muttered, just low enough that he couldn’t hear. Sirius and Remus did however, and burst out laughing. Potter looked around confusedly.

‘What did I miss?’

That statement was greeted by even more laughter from the whole group this time, and whenever Potter demanded an explanation, everyone was too busy laughing or eating to answer.

Half an hour later, the Marauders got up from the table, all high and happy for another night of rule breaking adventuring.

‘We’re off!’ Sirius announced. The all turned and started to leave, before Potter apparently remembered something.  Lily visibly flinched and began shuffling along the seat away from them. She knew what was coming. Potter grinned and vaulted (literally) over the table, next to Lily.

‘See ya, Evans!’ He engulfed her in a strangling hug while she squawked and bristled at this abuse.

‘Potter – ugh – let – me – go!’

He laughed and finally abandoned his grip on her, pivoting on his heel and joining his mates. Lily rubbed her shoulder irritably. He did that _all_ the time now. It really had a habit of putting her off her food.

‘On the bright side,’ Marley said, evidently trying not to laugh, ‘you know he likes you.’

‘That’s not true,’ Lily replied bluntly. ‘He hates me and does everything in his power to annoy me.’

Marley grinned. ‘You keep thinking that. You’ll come around to an accurate way of thinking eventually.’

Lily rolled her eyes again. ‘Oh, shush.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Wait, how does this work?’ Remus asked, pointing to the list of ingredients written on his parchment. ‘There’s these instructions for the potion here –,’ he pointed to an open textbook, ‘- but they’ve got the same potion _here_ , too,’ he pointed to another book, ‘- just with different instructions.’

Kayla shook her head slowly. ‘This one’s stronger than the other one.’ She pointed to the second book. ‘They just need more suitable ingredients for it.’

Remus blinked, then realisation dawned on his face. ‘Oh.’

It was Halloween morning, and they were sitting together in what had once been Kayla’s nest, expanded so that it now fit two. She wasn’t entirely sure, but Kayla felt like she was warming up considerably to Remus, and found she was gradually getting more comfortable around him. She actually didn’t mind the feeling. Sure, she wasn’t used to it, but it was pretty nice. He was nice too. He hadn’t judged her on her antisocial quirks, and he actually had a habit of constantly tracking her down and hanging out with her. He did have other friends though; she had seen them. She knew he was the fourth member of the Marauder clan, and a skilled troublemaker. Usually, Kayla found that sort of thing irritating, but with Remus, it just seemed endearing.

Wait, what?

Anyway, the boy was different, she could say that much. He wasn’t like any of the book characters she had a tendency to fall in love with, but . . . he was probably _her_ equivalent to those people.

Okay, her mind was really going off the rails today. Seriously, what was she thinking? As _if_ he would actually hang around. She wasn’t even sure if they were friends, yet.  And they probably weren’t.

See, Kayla was just _that_ unexperienced, she didn’t even know what having a friend felt like.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she looked back down at her Astronomy essay and put her quill to the parchment.

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘It’s six forty-three,’ Peter informed them. ‘Should we start?’

The Marauders looked at each other, then at the crate of pumpkin insides sitting innocently before them.

‘You bet,’ James said with a grin.

‘Who’s our target?’

James thought about it for a moment, scanning the number of heads in the Great Hall, before pointing at someone past Sirius, who Remus couldn’t see. ‘That one?’

Sirius raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? I thought you would have chosen Red.’

‘Nah. Best not drench her in pumpkin guts before asking her out.’

‘You still gonna go through with this, James?’ Remus asked incredulously. ‘Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t think Lily’s too fond of you.’

‘Oh come on. I give the girl a hug every time I see her.’

‘And every time, she looks like she’s going to spit acid.’                

James shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s her way of showing affection.’

‘If that was the case, she’d be a basilisk.’

James got a slightly dreamy look. ‘You’re right. Killer eyes, those.’

‘That’s not what I-’

‘Action time!’ Sirius cut over them. ‘Go, go, go!’

Sirius and Peter both pulled out their wands and pointed them at the crate. ‘ _Wingardium Leviosa!’_

James turned to Remus. ‘Pumpkins!’

‘Pumpkins.’

He gave a satisfied nod, and turned back to the Great Hall, pulling out his wand. Remus got out his own and started muttering a few spells.

Yells soon ensued. The reason? Giant pumpkins, small pumpkins - pumpkins of all sizes were falling from the ceiling and exploding everywhere. Disappointingly, no one hit by stray vegetables because they disintegrated into golden dust midair, showering everyone in it. It was still satisfying, though.

James waved his wand and shouted a little, and fireworks began exploding near the ceiling. They went off at rapid fire, and all of the rainbow colours began forming words.

_Go out with me, Evans?_

Remus peered into the entrance hall, where he could see Lily at the Gryffindor table, looking furious. Something told him she knew just _who_ had set off those fireworks.

Suddenly, a crash followed by a scream capped everything. Sirius and Peter laughed and high-fived each other. Remus looked to see what had happened, but before he could, he was shoved aside.

Literally on the verge of tears and covered in pumpkin guts, Kayla ran out of the Great Hall and up the staircase, out of sight. Remus felt his stomach drop like a stone. Oh God.

He whirled on the other three. ‘You _idiots_!’

Sirius blinked. ‘What?’

Not even bothering to reply, Remus turned and ran after her.

* * *

 

‘Kayla! Come on, Kaye! Where are you?’

Remus climbed onto the staircase leading up to the Astronomy tower, left with no other choice. He had checked both the library and the common room, and all of the abandoned Transfiguration classrooms on the third floor. He had figured that this was the only other place she could have gone without getting caught.

He paused suddenly, hearing a slight noise. He could hear it properly now; crying. Biting his lip, Remus ran the rest of the way up into the tower and skidded onto the wooden balcony. He looked around and followed the noise. ‘Kayla?’

There came a muffled response: ‘Oh, go away!’ Remus was surprised he got a response at all, really.

He turned a corner to find Kayla sitting against the wall, her knees drawn up into her chest. She still had pumpkin seeds in her hair. She glared at him through red eyes. ‘Come to have a go at me, huh?’

Remus frowned. ‘No. Why would I have a go at you?’

‘You were quite happy to dump all of _this_ on me.’

He shook his head slowly, then sat down next to her. He brushed the seeds out of her braid and put a hand under her chin, making her look at him. ‘That wasn’t me. That was the other guys.’

She snorted. ‘Oh sure. And you just stood by while they did that?’

He shook his head again. ‘I didn’t even know who they were going to do it to. I was doing other stuff.’

‘Like what?’

‘The, uh, exploding pumpkins.’

Kayla looked down at her feet as another tear traced its way down her cheek. ‘You’re an idiot, you know that?’

Remus sighed slightly. ‘Sometimes I think I need to be told.’

‘I – I was starting to think that we might actually become friends, but . . . I wouldn’t know what to expect. So, I guess if I ever thought it before, I was wrong.’

‘Don’t be silly. Why shouldn’t we be friends?’

‘Because I’m the person that nobody likes. I don’t even know what having a friend feels like.’

Remus slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in next to him. Her eyes widened at this foreign gesture.

‘It feels like this,’ he said.

Kayla hesitated slightly, thinking. Then she began to relax, ever so slowly.  

‘I think I like this,’ she murmured after a few minutes.

‘So are we friends?’

‘I – I think so.’

‘I’ll need a more solid answer than that.’

‘Okay. We are.’

Remus grinned. ‘So, what brought you up here?’

Kayla turned slightly pink. ‘I . . . like Astronomy. It’s my favourite subject, because I like looking at the stars, the constellations.’

‘Show me.’

She pointed up at the sky with her free hand. ‘There’s Pegasus.’

‘Where?’

‘Look.’ She took hold of his wrist and directed his pointing finger to the constellation. After a moment, he could see it. ‘Ah.’

Kayla smiled slightly. ‘They’re amazing things, the stars.’

Remus grinned and looked at her. ‘Yeah.’

 


	7. Year 1 - The Full Moon

**_ Chapter 7 – The Full Moon _ **

** Marlene **

‘Dare you to hex Diggory.’

Sirius looked at her and grinned. ‘Have you ever had a better idea?’

‘Bet you couldn’t.’

‘Which one? The hexing, or having a better idea?’

‘Both.’

‘Oh, you’re on!’

Their whispered conversation went unnoticed by both Professor Binns and the rest of the class, who had drifted into a sort of stupor. Marley jabbed a finger towards the other side of the room, where Amos Diggory was lounging back in his seat and flashing an occasional grin at the pink cheeked girl next to him.

‘Well? I want to see something done about his pretty face.’

Sirius snorted. ‘Pretty? As if. I’m better looking than him.’

‘Self-absorbed much?’

‘I have the right. You see, if I wasn’t good looking, and I claimed that, we’d have a problem. Kinda like Diggory over there. He’s a _complete_ pig. But I _am_ good looking, so I can go and say that rather easily.’

Marley rolled her eyes. ‘Alright, fine. But I don’t see any hexing going on.’

Sirius grinned at her and slipped his wand out of his pocket, holding it under the table. He muttered a quick incantation that Marley didn’t hear. There was a loud _crack_ and everyone snapped out of their daze, looking around.

_REEEEEEEEEET!_

Marley blinked. Sitting in Amos’ chair, was a pig. A big, hairy one, mind you. The pig leapt out of the chair and tore around the room, upturning desks and sending screaming students flying. Most of the girls had vacated their seats and were making a beeline for the door, wailing something incoherent. The girl that had been next to Diggory looked horrified.

Professor Binns looked up from his notes, followed the pig with his transparent eyes for a few seconds, then looked back down and continued in a drone. Sirius laughed and Marley high-fived him. James came running over to them. ‘Was that you guys?’ he asked through strangled laughter, his eyes watering.

‘Sirius,’ Marley choked out, laughing just as hard. ‘ _All_ Sirius.’

‘It – was – your idea,’ Sirius interjected, also having a fit.

‘ _You_ – did it, though.’

Sirius looked as though he was trying to decide how to respond to this statement, however he was still laughing too hard to piece something coherent together.

_Bang!_

Everyone whipped around to see Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway, looking furious.

‘Professor Binns,’ she asked, her voice deadly quiet. ‘Why is there a _pig_ in your classroom? It’s making enough of a racket that it is disturbing the class I am trying to teach downstairs.’

Binns looked up sleepily at Professor McGonagall. ‘Pig?’

She flicked her wand, and with another crack and a puff of smoke, Amos was sitting on his backside in the middle of the classroom, looking stunned. He managed something intelligent sounding that came out like, ‘uduh?’

McGonagall shot a suspicious look and James and Sirius, who were within speaking range of each other, before turning on her heel and leaving.

Marley exhaled, a grin spreading over the innocently blank expression she had been wearing moments before.

‘I think she suspected you, mate,’ James muttered jokingly. Sirius let out a bark of laugher. ‘I do too. Though you looked a bit guilty, James.’

‘But it wasn’t _me_ for once.’

‘Ha. For once.’

* * *

 

**Remus**

‘Come along, child.’

Remus followed Madam Pomfrey out into the sunset, down the slope of the hill, and all the way to a tree by the forest, the whole time trying to ignore the splitting pains in his chest.  The Whomping Willow creaked slightly as it detected people approaching, but with an impatient wave of her wand, the still-growing tree went still. Remus was beginning to grow used to this procedure as he had done it twice before, but he still found it queer that the school had grown a deadly tree just for his personal use. Not that he was complaining, though. He was eternally grateful to Professor Dumbledore for going to such measures in order to ensure the safety of so many lives, while also allowing Remus to have an education.

He walked over to the boy-sized hole in among the roots, and gave one last look at Madam Pomfrey, who’s face was ashen grey. ‘Do try to take care,’ she murmured. Remus gave her a weak smile, then lowered himself down the hole.

Dirt tumbled from the roof of the tunnel in powdery showers as he made his way through it. He brushed some of it out of his hair and gave a small yelp as another spasm went through his chest.

After a minute or two, he came to the wooden steps that lead up to the inside of the Shrieking Shack and emerged into the dusty bedroom. The sheets were shredded and the bedframe splintered from his previous visits. With a small sigh, Remus strode over to the bedside table and pulled open the drawer. He quickly pulled off his jumper and folded it neatly, setting it inside. He shivered from the cool breeze filtering through the cracks in the walls, but stripped another layer of clothing all the same. There was no point in allowing it to be destroyed when he could just as easily prevent it.

Another wave of pain shot through him, tightening his chest and causing his legs to tremble. With a gasp, he collapsed against the bed, his hand just catching the frame and keeping him upright. He coughed into his other hand and drew it away to find blood, but that was something he was used to. It had to be expected when all of his insides were being shoved around more than they should be. He coughed again, inhaling more dust, and tumbled to his knees, his sweaty hand letting go of the frame. He fell onto all fours, coughing heavily and spraying the floor with blood. The shack steadily became darker.

It was at that point when the pain became unbearable. It was running though all of his systems and nerves; he could feel his spine clicking into a different shape and the strain on his face and lower legs as he felt himself morphing. His fingers began elongating into claws . . . and he began feeling disorientated. His mind was flickering between his own and that of his wolf counterpart’s. A low growling escaped his throat instead of the groans of pain he had been previously letting out, and his vision sharpened.   
Then all at once, every single thought abandoned his mind.

And that was when the wolf howled towards the moon that he couldn’t see.

* * *

 

**Kayla**

A wail rang through the grounds and Kayla looked up from her Transfiguration homework, startled. After a moment of surveying the completely black grounds, she shrugged and looked back down at the textbook, though her mind wasn’t focused on it.

She was rather excited actually. For the first time this year, she was getting the opportunity to explore the castle without anyone being around. The Christmas holidays were quickly approaching, and Kayla was one of the few who had signed up to stay over the break. She couldn’t have gone home if she wanted to, anyway. Her mum and grandparents were taking a holiday to Paris, but since she had been there so often, Kayla had refused the offer to join them this time round. Having the excuse “I need to study” really had its perks. You could definitely say that her parents were very concerned people when it came to her grades.

Another howl could be heard in the distance, and Kayla got off her bed, fuming about ‘wolves and their constant need to howl’. She slammed the window shut so hard that the glass rattled slightly.

At the same time, the dormitory door was pushed open and Lily came in, her hair coloured electric green. Her face was also an odd shade of red, evidently from the high blood pressure. All Kayla could do was blink.

Lily paused when she saw her and turned, if possible, even redder.

‘James,’ she said irritably, as if she expected that single name to make sense to Kayla.

‘Um?’ was all that she could say.

Lily sighed, and began ruffling through her trunk for her Charms textbook. ‘He thought it would be funny to change the colour of my hair.’

‘Here.’ Kayla pulled out her wand and muttered an incantation, and very slowly, Lily’s hair began to change back to its original colour. Lily grabbed a chunk between her fingers and examined it, before looking back up at Kayla, her expression grateful. ‘Thanks.’

Kayla shrugged and started making her way towards the door. ‘No problem.’

Before Lily could respond, she had pushed the door open again and was making her way down the staircase. At the bottom she almost ran headfirst into a grinning James.

‘How’s Evans?’ he asked jauntily.

Kayla pursed her lips. ‘Her hair colour is back to normal, no thanks to you.’ She looked over his shoulder to see Sirius and Peter, both grinning just as broadly. ‘Where’s Remus?’

James shrugged, his smile fading slightly. ‘Dunno. Haven’t seen him since afternoon lessons.’

Kayla frowned. ‘That’s odd.’

Sirius quirked an eyebrow. ‘What’s it to you, Edwards?’

Kayla flushed slightly, but drew herself up to her full height. ‘Nothing. You lot just never seem to be apart, that’s all.’

He grinned. ‘Nice that you’ve noticed.’

Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘Thanks.’ She pushed past them and made her way out into the common room, which was beginning to clear out due to the late hour. She plopped herself down on the couch in front of the fireplace and curled up like a cat, watching the flames dance around.

Damn, she was _tired_.

She wasn’t sure what time she fell asleep, but she woke up to hear to Portrait Hole opening. The clouds had completely obscured the moon and the stars outside, and the clock on the wall across from her read 5:30. She looked back at the at the Portrait Hole to see a tired, scratched and bleeding boy stumble inside, rubbing one side of his face and yawning.

‘ _Remus?_ ’

Remus jolted violently and his startled eyes moved up to meet hers. ‘Er, Kayla. Hey. What are you doing up?’

‘Fell asleep,’ she said tightly, getting up and crossing the room over to him. ‘What happened?’

He shrugged her off. ‘I’ll be fine. Madam Pomfrey’s had a look at me.’

‘That doesn’t explain anything.’

He sighed. ‘Look . . .’

Kayla felt herself soften at how anxious he looked, and decided she would let it slide for the present moment. ‘Okay, you don’t have to tell me. Yet.’

He relaxed slightly, and a purple bruise over his eye was thrown into a more prominent light coming from the hearth. Kayla gave him a stern look.

‘You need some sleep,’ she said bluntly. ‘Come on.’ She grabbed him gently by the wrist and tugged over to the boys’ staircase, and quietly led him up it. She pushed open their dormitory door and decided to temporarily the disgusting mess that greeted her, walking over to what was obviously Remus’ bed. Meaning the unoccupied one. Remus stumbled slightly on the trip there, and she caught him under the arms just as he reached the bed. He quietly thanked her and climbed under the doona. Kayla allowed herself to gently brush her fingers over a slice on his cheek that had been partially healed, but had split from overexertion. He smiled weakly, the desperate need to sleep obviously setting in. ‘Night, Kaye,’ he whispered. Kayla smiled lightly in return, and turned to leave.

‘Night, Rem.’

 


	8. Year 1 - Christmas

**_ Chapter 8 – Christmas _ **

** Sirius **

Soon enough, it had reached the point where the Christmas holidays had finally started. Large crowds of students were all gathered together at Hogsmeade station and were getting on the train to go home for the holidays. Or in Sirius’ case, his holiday home.

Sirius hadn’t really experienced the best upbringing. He had always hated his parents and their pure-blood mania, and the fact that the lot of them were loyal to Slytherin. His whole family tree, dating as far back as Hogwarts went, were all Slytherins. And, naturally, when he was sorted into Gryffindor, that hadn’t sat too well with them. The howler he had received mere days after arriving also reinforced that point.

James, being the great mate he was, had figured that out for himself, and when the issue of Christmas finally did come around, he didn’t even have to think about what Sirius was going to do. He wrote to his parents straight away, asking if he could stay with them. The Potters had responded quickly and enthusiastically, delighted at the idea of James having a friend over for the holidays. And so, this was probably going to be the best Christmas that Sirius had ever had. Not as though that was saying much.

‘Sirius, I swear, if you don’t get off your arse any time soon and clear up some of the junk you might need, I smack you over the head with a book and have Remus adopt you instead.’

Sirius looked up at James from his magazine with a grin. ‘Aww, come on James! All I need is a toothbrush. The rest I can live without. Besides -’ He showed James the page he was looking at.

James leaned in close, inspecting it. His eyebrows travelled up his forehead incredibly quickly.

‘What _are_ those?’ he asked incredulously.

Sirius flashed him a grin. ‘Motorbikes.’

James straightened up, giving him a _yeah-you’re-crazy-but-I’m-not-entirely-sure-that-you-know-it_ look. ‘Right.’

Sirius gave a barking laugh and jumped up from his bed, shoving the reading material into a rucksack. ‘Right then. Are we off?’ James grinned. ‘Yep. As soon as I find Evans, anyway.’

As it turned out, Lily wasn’t all that hard to find. She was down at the station with Marley, waiting for some of the crowd to clear up so they could get on the train without being run over.

‘Marley!’ Sirius called, waving his arms about wildly. Both girls turned – a look of irritation crossing Lily’s face, while Marley beamed brightly. ‘Sirius! James!’

‘You look like a flightless bird,’ Lily informed Sirius dryly. He only laughed.

‘Evans!’ came a yell from behind him. Lily groaned audibly.

‘What do you _want_ , Potter?’

‘Why, I just wanted to wish you a merry Christmas!’

‘Yes, yes, thank you, it’s done and dusted, now will you go away?’

James feigned a look of hurt. ‘Why Evans, you wound me.’

‘Oh, come on James,’ Sirius said, laughing. ‘We’ll never find a compartment at this rate.’

‘Right-o then.’ Without further ado, he swept Lily into what appeared to be a bone crushing hug, before be turned back to Sirius. ‘Let’s go.’

‘Bye Marls,’ Sirius said, clapping her on the shoulder. Marley laughed. ‘See you around.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Kayla sighed happily, unable to keep herself from grinning. She had this _whole_ castle to herself. As it turned out, no one else was staying over the holidays. Save the teachers, anyway. But the point was, she could go exploring without worrying about anyone being around. She would get to find out what it felt like to be a Marauder, in the finding-secret-passageways-and-rooms sort of way.

And so, the adventure started here. The vibrant orange glow of the setting sun was quite happily poking through the windows and into her eyes, partially blinding her. But she didn’t really care. She ran along the seventh floor, away from Gryffindor Tower. She figured that she could work her way downwards.

She walked with her hand against the wall, feeling around for any invisible doorways or secret entrances.

About fifteen minutes later, the sun had set completely, and all that Kayla had managed to find was a tapestry of someone called Barnabas the Barmy, who had apparently taken on a desire to train trolls to perform ballet. Kayla stood, looking at the tapestry with wide eyes as Barnabas was clubbed repeatedly over the head by his students. Shaking her head incredulously, she turned around.

Yes, it was a blank wall. But there was something about it. Frowning, Kayla crossed the corridor and rested both hands against it, feeling the rough stone. There didn’t really appear to be anything queer to it, it just had a noticeably magical feel.

Then her stomach began rumbling, so Kayla made a mental note to return to this spot the next day, and began her long trip down to the Great Hall.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

Sirius began loading his plate up with roast chicken and gave a thumbs up. ‘Looks great, Mrs P.’

Euphemia smiled warmly at him. ‘Thank you, dear. And, please, call me Mum.’

He grinned at his three friend seated on both sides of him. ‘Good enough for me.’

It was Christmas Eve, and both Remus and Peter had joined them for lunch. After this, Peter was going to stay for the remainder of the holidays, but he wasn’t sure what Remus was doing.

‘You mean that the food’s good enough for you,’ Remus interjected slyly.

Sirius flashed him a grin. ‘Absolutely.’

The whole table burst into laughter at that.

‘How has your term been so far?’ Fleamont asked when they all had finished, setting down his cutlery. ‘I hope that James hasn’t been causing too much trouble?’

‘Dad!’ James groaned. Sirius laughed.

‘Absolutely not, sir, absolutely not.’

‘Seconded,’ Peter piped up.

‘Am I the only one who can say otherwise?’ Remus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius put a hand over his heart and gave a loud gasp of mock surprise. ‘You wouldn’t, Remus!’

Cue another round of laughter.

‘Are you sure, Sirius?’ Remus asked once he had also calmed down slightly. ‘Some of the stuff I’ve seen you do . . .’

‘Ah, but you see, Remus, _you_ have also taken a part in this “stuff”. We will drag you down with us.’

‘Fair enough.’

Half an hour later, the plates were cleared up and Remus was half way out the door.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night?’ Euphemia asked. Remus shook his head.

‘Thanks for the offer, but my parents have arranged for me to stay at school while they’re away. It’s easy enough to do.’

‘How are you getting there?’

He shrugged slightly. ‘I’m taking the Knight Bus to Diagon. There’s a Floo network being set up for me. I’ll be okay.’

Euphemia’s face relaxed slightly, and she gave a small smile. ‘Alright then. Be safe.’

 Remus smiled back. ‘Don’t worry. I will.’ With that, he hugged each of his friends goodbye, and left.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Kayla was growing used to dining with the teachers. After all, she had spent most of the holidays being the only student in the castle, and because of that, it wasn’t like she was going to be made to eat at a table all on her own. And it was on this Christmas Eve, that she felt particularly privileged. It wasn’t often that you got to see Professor Dumbledore pull Christmas crackers with everyone at the table, chuckling merrily at the various gifts that exploded out of each one. And it _certainly_ wasn’t often that you could see McGonagall and Hagrid easily getting through several glasses of red wine, becoming increasingly tipsier with each one. Uh, _yeah_. Very few people have the honour of witnessing that.

And when it was all over, Kayla wasn’t ashamed in the least to feel disappointed that the time had disappeared so quickly. She arrived back at the Portrait Hole when it was almost eight, and didn’t even have to give the password. The Fat Lady had invited over her friend Violet, and they had both apparently demolished a large supply of liquor chocolates. When they saw her, they both giggled and muttered something incoherent, before the portrait swung open. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Kayla stepped through.

‘Is there room for two tonight?’

Kayla almost screamed. Standing right in front of her, wrapped up in snow flecked outerwear, was Remus.

What was the politest way of putting this? She barrelled straight into him. Damn, she was so happy to see him. Remus let out a slight grunt and a gentle laugh, wrapping his arms around her.

After a moment or two, Kayla popped her head above the material, looking straight at him. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘My parents have abandoned me,’ he said jokingly. ‘And besides, I wanted to spend my first Christmas here with you.’

Kayla practically melted.

‘Aww. You are _awesome_ , you know that?’

He grinned. ‘If you say so.’

‘You are.’

‘Alright then. What do you say about roasting marshmallows?’

‘Sounds good.’

And so, if you came back half an hour later, you would see two first-years cuddled up together in front of the fireplace, completely knock-dead asleep, with a packet of half eaten marshmallows sitting forgotten nearby.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Come _on_ , Lil. I said I’d meet up with them.’

Lily exhaled heavily. ‘But _Marley_ . . . you know what they’re like.’

Marley folded her arms. ‘But they’re my friends. Please?’

Lily chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘Okay, fine. We’ll find them.’

Marley grinned. ‘You’re fabulous.’

The two girls were sitting on a bench at King’s Cross, the day before term was due to restart. On Boxing Day, Lily had stayed at Marley’s house for the remainder of the holidays. The problem was, now that they were here, Marley wanted to see the Marauders. Lily had objected instantly, but Marley was so desperate to see them, that she caved in.

Marley grabbed her hand and stood up. ‘Come on. They should be here soon.’

Lily grumbled.

‘Marley!’

They both turned around to see James, Sirius and Peter coming towards them, grins evident on their faces

Lily sighed. ‘Okay, I’m off. I’m sure Sev will be here soon.’ Marley pursed her lips, but otherwise nodded. Lily gave a hug for their temporary goodbye, and ran off.

 


	9. Year 1 - Broken Shoulders and Deadly Statues

**_ Chapter 9 – Broken Shoulders And Deadly Statues _ **

** Lily **

‘How come I don’t get to see you much anymore?’

Sev shrugged, leaning back in his seat. ‘We’re in different houses. It can’t really be helped, I guess.’

‘We’re still best friends though, aren’t we?’

‘I . . . uh, yeah. But what about McKinnon? Isn’t she your friend?’

Lily nodded. ‘Yes. She is.’

‘Better than I am?’

Lily halted. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well, you spend a lot of time together, don’t you?’

She frowned. ‘Yes, but that doesn’t mean I think she’s better than you are.’

‘Oh. Okay.’

The silence became awkward, and Lily fidgeted in her seat, unsure of what to say. Sev had become rather distant ever since they came to Hogwarts, and though she didn’t notice at first, she could see it now. Though she supposed him spending time with his friends was a lot like her spending time with Marley; they were in the same house and had more opportunities.

But Sev was changing. She didn’t know if that had something to do with the distancing, but he wasn’t the same boy she had met two years ago at the park. Whenever he was mean, he usually did it unintentionally, but now he did it deliberately. It was like in order to fit in, he had to act as unpleasant as the rest of his friends. Lily didn’t like it. Not one bit. But she didn’t want to say anything, as she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. She didn’t know what to do.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Feeling very aware of the time, Kayla made one last desperate dash back to the strange wall. Remus was quite occupied by having a shower, and she wanted to try and figure it out before everyone got back.

She found the place opposite the tapestry and rested her hands against the stone once more. She had been doing this ever since noticing it on Christmas Eve and was determined to figure it out. She pulled out her wand and said a spell she had discovered the night before.

‘Reveal your secrets.’

Nothing happened. Typically.

Right. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Kayla backed up, and with a yell, rammed into the wall with all the power she could muster.

 _Crack_.

She coughed and stumbled back, spots dancing in her eyes. The pain shooting through her shoulder was almost unbearable. Her arm tumbled limply to her side, and that unintentional action alone hurt like hell.

Did she just . . . did she just _break_ something?

She blinked back tears and took a shaky breath.

‘Okay,’ she muttered. ‘Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, _ow_.’

Right. Hospital wing. El pronto. She stumbled on now-shaky legs back down the corridor to the Portrait Hole, from which she could take a nice, short path to Madam Pomfrey. Though how she was going to explain this, she didn’t know. _Hi, I’m Kayla and I like to run into walls._

Fun. Happy days. She was _so_ screwed. Insanity wise, anyway. It’s a freaking _magic_ school. You can’t knock walls apart from brute force. Geez.

‘Kaye?’

Oh, _God_.

‘Hey, Rem,’ she muttered, trying not to wince. ‘Have a nice shower?’

Remus came up beside her, frowning when he noticed her limp arm straight off the bat. ‘I leave you alone for fifteen minutes – _fifteen minutes_ – and you’ve already done damage to yourself.’ He shook his head. ‘What _am_ I going to do with you?’

‘Okay, buddy,’ Kayla said, growing irritated. ‘ _You,_ if anything, are going to escort me to the Hospital Wing. I trust Pomfrey with her healing powers more than I do you.’

Remus cracked a grin. ‘ _Someone_ isn’t too happy.’

‘Yeah, yeah. Move it or lose it.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

Kayla is not the happiest person when she’s injured, Remus decided. And though he knew he should be acting more worried that he was, it was rather amusing to see what you had to do to make her snap at you. Wow. He felt a bit like James when it came to that.

Anyway, three or so minutes later, they turned up at the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey apparently wasn’t expecting patients so early in the term. Remus pushed open the doors and stepped inside first.

‘Mr Lupin?’ Pomfrey said, coming over. ‘What is it? It’s not time yet –’

She cut off sharply when Kayla stumbled in, her arm swinging around dangerously. Kayla raised her eyebrows as she heard the last bit of the statement, and Remus felt himself pale slightly.

‘What on _earth_ did you do, child?’ Pomfrey cried, throwing her hands up in the air.

‘I ran,’ Kayla said, flopping onto one of the beds, now holding her arm safely against her chest to prevent further damage, ‘into a wall.’

Pomfrey sighed and disappeared into her office, bringing out a clipboard. She walked over to Kayla and began prodding various points in her shoulder, muttering spells. Kayla screwed up her face slightly, wincing from the pain. Remus walked over and sat down in the chair beside her bed. He smirked when she mumbled a feeble ‘shut up’.

‘Now,’ Remus started. ‘I don’t think we’ll be running into walls again anytime soon, will we?’ She gave him a particularly rude hand gesture with her working arm and he burst out laughing.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

‘Okay, your turn,’ Sirius said, watching Binns out of the corner of his eye.

Marley raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’

‘I don’t think we have enough Gryffindor supporters for the Quidditch match tomorrow.’

Marley grinned, getting the message. She slipped her wand out of her pocket and held it underneath the desk, and began muttering some incantations.

The first thing Sirius noticed was the group of Slytherins at the other end of the round room. They were all dressed in their school robes, lounging about and talking casually, not even trying to _look_ like they were listening. The fibres of their black clothing began to slowly change colour, like adding ink to water. One of them noticed after a moment, and pointed in shock at his friend’s robes. Slowly, everyone else’s began to change too.

Now, the floor was looking as though someone was using an invisible paintbrush on it. Sirius grinned as the colour was spreading quickly and efficiently. The next second, the curtains had changed in the same way that the robes did.

Sirius grinned as he looked around, and Marley stifled a giggle. For now, everything in the room had the design of a red background, a yellow lion, and the text “Go Gryffindor!” printed on it.

Professor Binns looked up, slightly stunned, as chaos ensued.

Aaaannd, it wasn’t entirely a surprise that they were in Professor McGonagall’s office five minutes later.

* * *

** Lily **

‘Evans?’

Lily looked up from her homework, feeling slightly hostile. ‘Yes?’

Potter looked as though he were contemplating asking her something; an actual, serious question for once. She waved her hands in a small “go on” motion.

He seemed to finally make up his mind, and shook his head. ‘Never mind.’

And with that he disappeared, leaving Lily feeling slightly confused.

* * *

** James **

‘Mr Potter, please perform the appropriate charm required to change the colour of this statue.’

James swallowed quietly. He _knew_ he should have asked Evans last night. Knew it. Trying to look as carefree as he usually did, he got up with a forced, but lazy grin and looked up at Professor Flickwick.

‘Colour change, you say?’

‘ _Yes_ , that is what I said.’

Feeling rather worried now, James pushed his sleeves up, still grinning. ‘Right, everyone. Time to be amazed by my awesomeness.’ Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Evans roll her eyes. That spurred him on a little more. He’d show her. He _could_ do Charms! Sometimes.

With that, he flicked his wand (a little haphazardly) and said ‘Wingardium Leviosa.’

The statue rose off the table.

‘No, Mr Potter!’ Flitwick cried. James pulled the classic _oops_ face, and swung his wand to the left. The statue knocked the Charms professor clean off his pile of books. Blanching, he now swung to the right. This time it bowled Snivellus right over; not as though that was a loss in any way. Giving up completely, James dropped his wand and leaned away from it like it had caught fire. The statue dropped from the air and landed on Snivellus’ head, splitting in two.

The whole class was in uproar, but all James cared about was if Evans was impressed. He had pulled off a levitation spell! His hopes fell when he looked around and saw that she wasn’t impressed at all, but was making her way over to Snivellus, who was apparently knocked out cold.

‘Back up, Mudblood,’ another Slytherin spat. ‘Keep your filthy paws away from him.’

‘Oi!’ James said. ‘Watch your mouth, you pompous arse.’

The Slytherin – Avery – sneered. ‘You’re one to speak, Mr I-Have-An-Overlarge-Ego.’

‘Shut up, the both of you,’ Evans snapped. She kneeled down beside Snape and Avery kicked her. ‘I _said_ back up!’

She jumped up, startled. James growled. That was it. He leapt forward and landed a punch right in Avery’s mouth, feeling pretty sure he knocked out some teeth. He fell back and his head hit the desk. The cronies that were usually with him were nowhere to be seen. James turned back to Evans, who was blinking back tears.

‘Are you o-,’ he started’

‘Oh, just _go away_!’ she cried. She turned on her heel and stalked off, back to Marley. Marley gave him a look as though to ask ‘What did _you_ do?’ but she didn’t say anything. Feeling irritable, James made his way back to his spot beside Sirius.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Evans?’

Lily looked up from her homework a second time, recognising the voice and groaning inwardly. ‘ _What?’_

Potter shuffled uncomfortably. ‘I, uh . . . well, what I wanted to say was . . . you’re good at it, and you don’t send things flying . . . so could we start?’

Lily blinked. ‘Wait. Hang on a second. Slow down,’ she gave him a stern look, ‘and _make sense_.’

Potter went slightly red – if that was even possible – and cleared his throat. ‘Right. Um, well, as you may know, I’m not too fabulous at Charms, and I’m terrible, and I would like to get it right . . . meaning preventing more statue incidents -’

‘Is this your extra-special way of asking for help?’ Lily asked with a wry smile. He thought about it for a second before answering.

‘Uh, yeah. Pretty much.’

‘Well,’ Lily said slowly, ‘why don’t you sit down. Nothing’s going to get achieved if you just stand there.’

Potter hesitated, but sat down. ‘Okay.’

‘I could help you with Transfiguration, you know,’ he said after a while, when Lily was halfway through explaining a hand motion. ‘You’re having trouble with it, aren’t you?’

Lily cocked her head to the side feeling a bit surprised. ‘What makes you say that?’

He shrugged slightly. ‘It’s just that you were working on those questions last night, too. I figured you were having a bit of trouble.’

‘Ah, yes,’ she said grinning slightly. ‘Was this when you tried to approach me the first time?’

He grinned back, looking slightly more comfortable. ‘It was actually, yes.’

‘You could have just asked me then,’ she murmured. The table they were sitting at was incredibly small, and they were close enough together as it was. Their foreheads were mere inches apart, and Lily was incredibly aware of that. She sat back slightly, feeling her cheeks go pink. There was a funny feeling in the bottom of her stomach, but she was sure Potter had nothing to do with it. Mostly.

 


	10. Year 1 - Sirius' "Logic"

**_ Chapter 10 – Sirius’ “Logic” _ **

** Lily **

There was the sound of curtains being wrenched open, and the light made the inside of Lily’s eyelids go red. With a groan, she reached up to rub her eyes, though not before she was pounced on.

‘Happy birthday, Lil!’

She opened her eyes to find her vision obscured by forty kilos of Marlene McKinnon. ‘Argh!’

Marley’s hair was golden in the morning light, and curly strands of it tickled Lily’s nose, making her want to sneeze. ‘Good _morning_ , sleepyhead. Now, come on. Up, up, _up!_ ’

Ah, yes. There it was. The usual morning greeting/ritual. At least that hadn’t changed. Puffing out her cheeks, Lily put her arms out, waiting to be hauled up. Marley obliged accordingly. Her feet tumbled out of bed and onto the cold floor, and she stretched out, yawning. ‘Right. So, _why_ did you wake me up?’

Marley’s expression was incredulous. ‘Lil. Really?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Are you that _dense?_ ’

‘I will be furthermore enlightened if you tell me.’

Marley gave her a sharp jab to the chest. ‘It’s your birthday! Good _God_ , woman!’

Lily blinked. ‘Really? Is it back again so soon?’

‘Yes, and do you want your present or not?’

Lily raised her hands in surrender, laughing. ‘Okay, Marls, okay. Please don’t kill me.’

Marley huffed, and retrieved a purple-wrapped gift from under her bed, shoving it at her. Written on the top in colour-change ink was: _From the best friend in all of eternity (meaning forever.) Seriously. You won’t find another friend like me. So don’t even try._

Lily laughed again. ‘I know you are,’ she told the other girl, who was looking rather smug. ‘And I won’t.’

She unwrapped the present to find . . . a box of owl treats. ‘Um, Marley? I don’t have an –’

‘Ah, ah ah!’ Marley cried, wagging a finger. ‘Just wait.’ She went to the window and gave a shrill whistle. A minute later, there was a rustle of wings, and a ball of feathers flew into the room. Lily gave a small shriek. ‘Is that - ?’

‘A spotted owl, hand reared by a family friend?’ Marley finished, still looking just as smug. ‘Why, yes. Yes it is. Happy birthday, Lil.’

Lily grinned broadly and tackled her friend in a hug. ‘Oh my gosh! You got me an owl!’

‘What are you going to call her?’

‘Her?’

‘Well, yes. I really hope you weren’t thinking she was a bloke.’

Lily took a step back and looked at the owl, thinking. She was coloured beautifully, brown with white spots, and a white breast. She looked at Lily with dark eyes. ‘Grace. After you.’

‘Really?’ Grace was Marley’s middle name. Lily looked back at her friend. Marley was trying to look modest, but she could tell she was pleased.

The bathroom swung open with a crash. Three guesses as to who it was. Whatever you thought, two of those guesses would be right.

‘So, the brat’s a year older,’ Claire said, striding out, already pampered for an ordinary Saturday morning. ‘We’re _terribly_ excited, aren’t we, Im?’

A response came from the bathroom. ‘Huh?’

Lily looked past Claire to see Imogen perched on the bathtub, halfway through braiding her hair. Claire pursed her lips slightly, and threw her hair over her shoulder. ‘Anyway, must be off. Things to do, people to see . . . _Jameses to catch._ ’ She threw open a second door; the one to the staircase, before turning around again. ‘Imogen! Come on!’

‘But, I’m not done yet!’

‘ _Now!_ ’

Grumbling, Imogen stood up and gave her hair a quick poke with her wand, tidying it up. She followed Claire out the door. Marley turned to Lily, looking disgusted.

‘What was _with_ that? Jameses to catch? Eugh.’

‘I do believe she has her eye on him,’ Lily said, grinning slightly. ‘Well, I wish her good luck with that. He’s immature enough that she’ll be lucky if he spares her a second glance. Is that not what eleven year-old boys do?’ she added innocently.

‘True, that.’

Marley went back to her bed and plopped down on it, while Lily stroked Grace and fed her a treat.

‘I – er . . . um, ha- uh, hap-’

Lily turned around to see Kayla standing behind her, fidgeting nervously. She turned a little red. ‘Happy . . . uh,’ she took a deep breath. ‘Happy birthday, Lily.’

Lily beamed. ‘Thanks, Kayla.’

And just for good measure, she wrapped her up in a hug. Kayla made a noise of surprise, before hesitantly hugging her back.

‘What, is it National Hugs Day or something? My turn.’

Lily broke off from Kayla and Marley barged past, also strangling her with a hug. She then stepped away, grinning at Kayla. The poor girl looked so overwhelmed she seemed as though she might pass out. All she had intended to do was wish Lily a happy birthday. She swallowed nervously and tucked a brown strand of hair behind her ear, before giving them both a quiet nod and leaving.

‘Bet she’s off to find Remus,’ Marley commented. ‘I think he gives better hugs than we do.’

Lily laughed. 

* * *

 

** James **

‘You’re crazy, James. She’ll strangle you to death.’

James laughed, absently ruffling his hair. ‘Nah. It’s not like I’m going to make her mortally embarrassed in front of the entire school.’

‘You are, actually.’

‘Aww, come on, Sirius! It’s just _Evans_. It’s not like it’s _Marley_ or anyone.’

Sirius shrugged. ‘True.’

‘So, I have fireworks to set off.’

‘You’re knowledge is only as extensive as fireworks, isn’t it?’

James shrugged. ‘They work, don’t they?’

‘I’m still surprised that you _knew_ it was her birthday.’

He grinned. ‘Like I was going to forget!’

Sirius rolled his eyes. ‘Stalker.’

‘Oi!’

Sirius burst into laughter as James poked his head around the doorframe of the Great Hall. His eyes scanned up and down the Gryffindor table, before he grinned, which obviously meant he had found Evans. He flicked his wand, murmured an incantation, and roughly two seconds later, fireworks began whizzing out of his wand and into the room, exploding and forming brightly coloured words. James _could_ have been more original in Sirius’ opinion.

_Happy Birthday, Evans!_

James hooted in appreciation and gave Sirius a double hi-five, grinning broadly. All of twenty seconds later, Evans stormed out of the hall, resembling a tomato rather well. James went to follow her, but Sirius grabbed his wrist.

‘Mate, just leave it.’

James pouted.

‘Why, _hello_ , James. Fancy seeing you here!’

They both turned to see Claire Winters, shortly joined by Imogen Golden, who's hair was relatively messy and disheveled. Claire beamed radiantly.

‘Uh, I’m here too,’ Sirius said bluntly.

‘I can see you,’ Imogen muttered. ‘I’m not blind.’

‘I’m sorry, what was that?’ Claire snapped.

‘Nothing.’

‘Thought so.’ She turned back to James, the smile immediately making its way back on her face. ‘I was just thinking –’

James cut her off. ‘Well, it’s been a pleasure seeing you ladies, but I need to go. I have an Evans to catch.’

‘A _what?_ ’

But James didn’t answer; he just turned around and waved back over his shoulder, grabbing Sirius by the wrist and leading him away.

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘I feel as though my life has just been tipped on its side.’

Remus looked up as Kayla plopped down in her book nest next to him. ‘Hmm?’

‘I just got _hugged_. By _two_ people!’

Remus gave a dramatic gasp, quickly putting a hand over her mouth. ‘Say no more! You’ve just done the impossible, haven’t you?’

Kayla wrenched his hand away. ‘I’m sorry, _what?_ ’

‘You haven’t – dare I say it – acquired _friends?’_

Kayla blinked. ‘No.’

Remus deflated slightly. ‘Oh.’ He thought for a moment, then brightened again. ‘At least that means I’m still the most important person in your life.’

Kayla stifled a laugh. ‘Someone’s got a sense of his own importance.’

‘But I’m right,’ he prodded cheekily. ‘ _Aren’t_ I?’

She sighed theatrically. ‘Yes. I suppose so.’

‘Ah, let’s hear it _again_.’

Kayla turned to face him. ‘Remus Lupin,’ she started, prodding him in the nose playfully, ‘you are _the most_ important person in my life.’

He grinned. ‘ _There_ it is. Come here, you.’ He stretched his arms out in an invitation for a hug. Kayla shook her head.

‘Nuh uh. What do you have to say?’

Remus pretended to think about it, obviously hiding a grin. ‘Hmm. I’m not sure.’

Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘There’ll be no hugs, otherwise. Everything from me comes at a cost.’

He grinned. ‘I know. I suppose that I should add that _you_ are also the most important person in _my_ life.’

‘ _There_ we go.’ She let him fling an arm over her shoulders and ruffle her hair with the other hand playfully. ‘What’s with you and hugging?’ she asked, laughing a little. ‘You’re such a girl.’

Remus laughed and shook his head. ‘I’m just making up for all the years you might have missed when growing up.’

‘Fair enough. I’m not complaining.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Judging by your extremely disgruntled expression, I’m assuming James went through with that idea he’s been buzzing about for days but I never thought he would actually go through with?’

Lily turned, her red hair hanging down one side of her face like a curtain. ‘You guessed right,’ she muttered.

‘Maybe I should have warned you.’

‘You could’ve.’

Lily stopped by a bench that had a nice view of the clear sky, and sat down. A breeze went through the courtyard, gently tousling their hair. Remus seemed to be thinking for a moment. ‘You could punch him. That would set him straight.’ He sat down on one side of her.

‘Remus!’ Kayla said, sitting down on his other side and giving him a light smack over the head. ‘No –’ She did it again. ‘- encouraging –’ And again. ‘- _violence_.’ She finished with a final whack. ‘Especially against your friends.’

Remus shrugged. ‘James is my friend, and Lily is too. Isn’t it okay to be the one who is being the influence of all these things?’

Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘You’re impossible.’

‘Guys.’ Lily clicked her fingers in front of them, feeling impatient but amused. ‘You can continue with . . . whatever that is . . . later. What am I going to do about Potter?’

Remus and Kayla both pulled faces, and Lily smirked inwardly, feeling victory. Remus was here because he had gathered what had happened in the Great Hall this morning, and Kayla was here because . . . well, wherever Remus was, she generally was too, now. Lily was surprised that she and Marley hadn’t terrified her to a point where she had gone and jumped into the Black Lake. Not that she was complaining, of course, but still. They had been rather forward this morning considering the girl was practically a social recluse. Remus didn’t count. He was closer to her, and she was obviously a lot more comfortable around him.  

‘Well,’ Kayla said. ‘You could tell him straightforwardly that he’s bugging you.’

‘He’s too dense.’

‘All right then.’

‘This is where punching him miraculously becomes an amazing idea,’ Remus interjected.

Kayla pulled a face. ‘ _No_.’

‘You’re so violent, _Remus_ ,’ Lily said, laughing.

* * *

 

** James **

‘Where’s Remus?’ Peter asked.

Sirius shrugged. ‘Lily’s probably dragged him off to plot James’ murder.’

James groaned. ‘Well, that’s just great. I really should take a new angle, shouldn’t I?’

Sirius nodded. ‘True, but where’s the fun in that? You see-’ He grabbed an unsuspecting Marley by the wrist and pulled her into his side, giving her a “friendly” hug. Apparently this point needed physical demonstration, James decided. ‘You see for example, if I liked Marley, and I bombarded her with some sort of prank every other day, I’d get a pretty sufficient reaction out of her, yeah?’

Marley blinked, looking very aware of the fact that Sirius’ arm was still tightly wrapped around her waist. ‘Okay . . .’

‘ _But_ ,’ he continued, ‘- if I stopped, I wouldn’t get those reactions. You see?’

James grinned. ‘Sirius, buddy, you are a philosopher. What’s a job you can take that means you get to sit around and enjoy yourself all day? I reckon you’re pretty deserving of it.’

‘Minister of Magic?’ Peter put in.

James clicked his fingers, pointing at the smaller boy with a grin. ‘There’s your answer!’

‘Anyway,’ Sirius said, still continuing his grip on Marley, ‘are you going to be a fool and take that “new angle”?’

James shook his head. ‘Nah. I’d rather not, now.’

Sirius grinned. ‘There’s my mate that we all know and love.’

 


	11. Year 1 - Confusion and Gobstones

**_  11 – Confusion and Gobstones _ **

** Lily **

_Crash!_

‘Argh!’

Lily looked up, completely dripping, to see James on his broomstick, hovering just above the giant, oak doors in the Entrance Hall.

‘You prat!’ she shrieked, groaning as she went to wring out her hair. ‘What the _hell_ did you do that for?’

James flashed a grin that even she could see, especially considering he was so high up. ‘Why, maybe I just felt like it, Evans!’

‘So you stayed right above the bloody door, waiting for me to go out?’

‘Got it in one! And I suppose it wouldn’t be fitting to say your hair always looks like it’s on fire. It’s a bit too wet for that at the present moment.’

Lily groaned and turned around, stalking back up to the dormitory. She was _drenched_. With another slight grumble and a flick of her wand she used a drying charm to rid herself of water, and a few pressing charms later, she was relatively fixed up.

All she was asking for was to safely make it up to the girls’ dorm. Alas, the fates weren’t on her side today. Walking with her head down, she made her way along the seventh floor corridor, stopping abruptly when a pair of feet (wearing designer sandals) obstructed her view of the floor. Lily looked up, right into the furious face of Claire Winters.

‘You’ve been avoiding me, Evans,’ she said in a low tone. Lily almost stepped back, she was so surprised.

‘What?’

‘I _said_ you’ve been avoiding me. I’ve been searching you out for the last _week_ , yet you keep running off, like the terrified little girl you are. You know what you’ve done, now tell me _why_.’

Lily blinked. ‘What?’ she asked again.

‘Don’t play stupid,’ Claire snarled. ‘You know that you’ve got him trailing desperately after you. But he wouldn’t do that of his own accord. He’s above _mudbloods_ like you. So, what. Did. You. Do?’

Lily sighed inwardly, and tried to push her way past. Claire’s arm shot out, blocking her.

‘Look,’ Lily said irritably, her temper finally getting the better of her. ‘I have absolutely _no idea_ who you are talking about, and you’re obviously going crazy. Now let me through!’

Claire grabbed her wrist, squeezing so hard that Lily knew it would bruise. ‘You little –’

‘I thought picking fights was above you, Winters. I’m _sure_ this is something James would love to hear about.’

Claire’s arm retracted back to her side in a millisecond, and she turned to glare at the newcomer. Sirius Black sauntered down the corridor, looking particularly unamused.

‘What are you on about, Black?’ Claire sneered. ‘And besides, what would _you_ know?’

‘A lot more than you. Now, scram.’

Claire drew herself up to her full height and stuck her nose in the air, pivoting on her heel and stalking off. Sirius came up beside Lily, looking irritated.

‘She didn’t seriously bash you, yeah, Evans?’

Lily rubbed her sore wrist but shook her head, and Sirius exhaled, clearly relieved. ‘Good. I’d never hear the end of it otherwise.’

‘From who?’

Sirius gave a half shrug, walking back up along the corridor. Lily hurried to catch up to him. ‘James. He’d kill me if you got hurt.’

‘ _What?_ ’

‘Face the truth, darl.’

Lily sighed. ‘Look, whatever this . . . this _act_ is, you can tell him he doesn’t need to hold it up any longer. I _know_ how much he hates me, and he doesn’t really need to go out of his way every day just to prove it.’

Sirius snorted. ‘I’m not an _owl_ , Evans. Tell him yourself if it’s so important to you.’

Lily glared. ‘Alright, then. Be that way!’ She sped up, towards the Gryffindor Tower.

‘Don’t I get a thank-you for the rescue?’ Sirius called irritably after her. She groaned.

‘Fine! You get points for that. Happy?’

‘Mildly.’

‘Good!’ With that, she gave the Fat Lady the password, and slammed the portrait in his approaching face.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Hey, shortie!’

Without even intending to, Kayla looked up from her book. James, Sirius and Peter were coming up to her, all wearing matching looks of questioning. ‘What?’ she muttered.

‘You seen Remus?’

She shook her head. ‘No. Haven’t seen him since lessons were let out.’

‘Huh.’ James flopped down on the couch beside her, flipping onto his stomach so he could see her properly. ‘Weird.’

Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘He disappears every once in a while. Seriously, I thought you would have noticed that.’

‘I have.’ James’ expression was deadly serious. ‘And I’m starting to wonder.’

Kayla closed her book, frowning. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well -’ Sirius sat down on the rug near her feet. Peter joined him. ‘Don’t you think it’s getting a bit regular? I mean, I get the whole deal with him mum having dodgy health and all, but it’s almost a routine, now.’

‘We thought you might’ve had an idea,’ James said. ‘You two are practically a married couple, after all.’

Kayla choked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘So he _hasn’t_ told you,’ Sirius pressed. ‘Hasn’t even slipped something by accident?’ She shook her head. He leant forward slightly, one hand on the carpet beside him.

‘Well, let’s see.’ Kayla took advantage of the situation to balance her copy of _The Lord of the Rings_ on the top of Sirius’ head, and ignoring the sound of protest he made, she started thinking. ‘This is practically a monthly thing, yeah?’

‘Pretty much.’

‘Well –’ She hesitated, contemplating whether to divulge this piece of information. But they were Remus’ friends. They had as much right as she did. ‘I did catch him one time. Sort of.’

They all perked up at this, their expressions demanding for her to go on.

‘A couple months back, I passed out on that couch for the night -,’ she jabbed a thumb to where James was lying, ‘ – and at about five the next morning, pretty much just as the sun was about to come up, he came in, covered in all of these horrid scratches. I tried to ask him, but he didn’t want to talk about it.’

A silence greeted her. Kayla studied each of the Marauders’ faces, noting the shock etched into them. Finally, the quiet was punctuated by James sitting up violently and swearing. Sirius immediately joined him. Kayla’s book tumbled off his head and landed in Peter’s lap, who recovered from his moment of stunned vacancy to toss it back to her, apologising hurriedly when it smacked her in the face. Kayla rubbed the red mark on her nose and shrugged, putting it down by her feet. Finally, James turned back to her. ‘You haven’t got any ideas?’ he asked desperately, the anger on his face now replaced with an anxious expression. Kayla shook her head mutely.

‘I’ve been trying,’ she said, ‘but I haven’t figured out anything yet. All I know is that Pomfrey seems to expect him a lot.’

‘Blimey,’ Peter said. ‘You – you don’t think _he’s_ the one who’s really sick?’

Kayla shrugged. ‘At this moment, all we can do is guess.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

The Easter holidays were nowhere near as enjoyable as the Christmas ones, due to the fact that exams were rapidly approaching and the added pressure the teachers were putting on was pretty close to cruel. Almost everyone stayed at school for these holidays, to make the most of the available time in order complete the tremendous piles of homework they had been set. And, of course, when term resumed, things were no better. The Marauders seemed to be the only people who were relatively laid back about it all. But, being the Marauders, who wouldn’t expect that?

Of course, Marley wasn’t as worked up about it as Lily was, though she did have enough sense to study every once in a while. She wasn’t dense enough that she left things to the last moment, unlike _some_ people.

The offender in particular was sitting just across the Gryffindor common room with the rest of his clan (cough, cough, _Marauders_ ) thrashing James horribly in a game of Gobstones and giving very loud commentary to the group of infatuated girls surrounding them. Even at eleven, they were already turning into heartbreakers. Marley rolled her eyes. She had known it was going to happen from the start. They were just too good looking. Granted, that was just _wrong_ concerning James, and she didn’t have that personal opinion of him (instead she’d heard it enough times from others), but with Sirius, it was pretty much true.

What she didn’t get was why the sight was bothering her. It was just _them_ , the two boys she had almost literally grown up with, surrounded by a group of stupid looking second year girls . . .

Oh.

Okay, then.

Maybe she did get it after all.

Or maybe she just wanted to complain.

One or the other, really.

With a huff, she got up from her table and made her way over to them. When she finally reached the sea of girls, she shoved her way through with a very loud ‘VIP coming through. Come on, ladies, budge it!’

Sirius and James looked up from their game and grinned at the sight of her. ‘There you are!’ James cried. ‘It’s about bloody _time._ Now, come on. Help me beat Sirius.’

‘Oi!’ Sirius said indignantly. ‘No cheating!’

‘I’ll distract him, eh, Jamsey?’ Marley suggested with a grin. With that, she plopped herself on Sirius’ lap, completely blocking his view of the game. Sirius made a noise of complaint and leaned to see past her, and she adjusted her position accordingly.

‘Oh, come on, now!’ Sirius cried. ‘This isn’t fair! I can’t play the stupid game if I can’t see it!’

Remus and Peter, who were spectating, sniggered. ‘There’s no rule against this, Sirius,’ Peter said cheekily, high-fiving Remus as they howled with laughter. Sirius grumbled and crossed his arms, while Marley spared a look at the girls who were sitting on the floor around them, looking mutinous. She had enough time to give them all a triumphant smirk before turning back to the boys.

‘Your turn, James,’ she prodded. James calculated his move for a moment, before rolling a gobstone. He shot Marley a warning look, who got it just in time. She leant away just as James’ stone quirted Sirius in the face with a foul smelling liquid, and burst into laughter with the rest of the Marauders as he began complaining loudly.


	12. Year 1 - The Exams and the Return

**_ 12 – The Exams And The Return _ **

** Lily **

Lily took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. It was _just_ exams. It wasn’t like getting into second year depended on it.

Actually, she realised, it did.

She felt sick, like she was going to pass out.

Merlin, she _hated_ exams. But she loved them at the same time, if that made any sense. She enjoyed that satisfied feeling she always got when finishing one, but the lead up to them was just too traumatic. She always wound herself up in circles being a hen about them, stressing over all the possibilities and potential for failure.

She hadn’t failed anything _yet_ , but she was afraid for when that moment finally came. This could come crashing down on her now, and she’d never make it into second year. What would happen to her then? Would she be cast out into the Muggle world, without her magic?

At that thought she started hyperventilating.

‘Lil!’ Marley’s hand came out of nowhere and smacked her across the face, bringing her out of her thoughts. ‘You’re working yourself up again.’

Lily rubbed her burning cheek and gave Marley a reproachful look. ‘I don’t think you needed to slap me, though.’

Marley rolled her eyes. ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures. Hey, look, it’s Sirius!’

Lily turned to see the Marauders coming towards them, though she hardly understood how the lot of them classed as “Sirius”.

Sirius grinned as he sidled up to them, Potter right on one side, Remus on the other. Peter hurried to catch up from a good distance away. ‘Marley! Pumped for exams?’

Marley rolled her eyes. ‘ _Sure_. But I know Lily is.’

‘And how is our academic bird going?’ Potter questioned, grinning. Lily felt herself go slightly green as another wave of nausea swept over her. She shook her head, clutching at her stomach. Potter raised his eyebrows, suddenly looking slightly curious.

‘You alright?’

She shook her head again and hoped that spoke for itself.

He obviously realised he wasn’t going to get a verbal response out of her, and turned to Marley instead.

‘Pre-exam stress,’ she clarified, rolling her eyes at Lily.

‘ _Merlin_ , Evans. Really? How are you going to deal when OWLs come along?’

She glared, but Potter didn’t even flinch. Instead, as casually as though she might be one of his mates, he put his hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature. Completely stunned, Lily didn’t even think to slap him away.

‘You’re not coming down with anything,’ he commented airily, finally withdrawing his hand. ‘Eat some chocolate. It works wonders. Rem, you got any chocolate?’

Lily shook her head. ‘No chocolate. Stupid stuff makes me sick. Well, _sicker_.’

Remus looked horrified. ‘How can you _say_ that?’ he cried. ‘You can’t – it’s not – I –’

‘Remus! _Chill_.’ Kayla came up from behind him and bumped her shoulder into his. ‘It’s just chocolate.’

He shook his head vigorously. ‘It’s not _just_ chocolate. It’s my life sustenance. You can’t just go and call it _stupid._ ’

Lily gave a small laugh. ‘Okay, Remus. I take it back. Chocolate isn’t stupid. You can calm down now.’

Remus huffed indignantly just as Professor McGonagall opened the door to the Transfiguration classroom and ushered them inside.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘See, Lil? That wasn’t so bad.’

Lily pulled a face. ‘Easy for you to say. You’re not dreadful at Transfiguration!’

Marley shrugged. ‘You could’ve done a James.’

Lily seemed to be contemplating this, before she shrugged offhandedly. ‘I s’pose.’

‘Done a _what?_ ’ James came up behind them, the rest of the Marauder clan in tow. Marley poked her tongue out at him. ‘Done a _James_. You know. All of the epic Charms stuff-ups you achieve?’

James grunted and turned his back to her, determinedly looking the other way.

‘I think you just found a chink in his pride,’ Sirius commented. Marley scoffed and rolled her eyes.

‘ _Please_. I know _all_ of his weaknesses.’ At this, she sent Lily a pointed look that she didn’t see, before casually slinging an arm around both Sirius’ and James’ shoulders and anticipating lunch, despite the fact it was only ten thirty in the morning.

James pulled a face. ‘You do _not_ know my weaknesses. I don’t have any!’

Marley started to grin. ‘Oh, really? Would you like me to get on a table and shout them to the whole world, then?’

‘ _No!_ ’

* * *

 

** James **

Needless to say, Evans survived the rest of the exams without much more drama. And so, James didn’t really have a need to go all healer on her again. Not that he wanted to or anything.

The Marauders were lounging out under their favourite beech tree by the lake, Sirius reabsorbed in his motorbike magazine and Remus occasionally looking over his shoulder and rolling his eyes. James smirked as he absently waved his wand, sending a gentle stream of bubbles out the end. Peter sat watching him, and blinked in surprise when one burst on his nose.

‘One down,’ Remus finally said. ‘And, _how_ many to go?’

Sirius shrugged, still ogling the motorbikes. ‘I wouldn’t know.’

Remus huffed. ‘Hate exams. Absolutely hate them. Can’t wait ‘til they’re over.’

‘But then we have to go home,’ Peter pointed out.

Sirius groaned. ‘Great.’

‘Aww, cheer up, Sirius,’ James said half-heartedly. ‘You can come stay with me again.’

Sirius shook his head. ‘Nah, I’ll survive.’

Remus ruffled Sirius’ shaggy hair playfully. ‘Oh, come on. It’ll be fine. If the crow gives you a hard time, give us a yell. We’ll probably abduct you.’

Sirius gave a barking laugh. ‘God, Remus. Really?’

He nodded. ‘Really. If you hate it that much, we won’t make you go back.’

Sirius grinned slightly. ‘You’re good mates, you know that?’

James grinned. ‘Yeah. I know.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Kayla stared at her completed Charms test paper, looking at it, but not actually seeing anything.

Instead, her mind was working, trying to come to a conclusion.

She had something else to add to her list of things she wondered about Remus Lupin.

Last night, she had gone to Madam Pomfrey through a fit of vomiting, wanting something to fix it. The flu had swept through Hogwarts only weeks before, but it hadn’t hit Kayla until just then. Lugging a bucket with her, she had pushed open the door of the Hospital Wing, paused to throw up again, and then stared around the vacant ward. The lights had been dimmed, and the steadily setting sun was casting long shadows on the floor.

‘Hello?’ she called. No one came to answer; not even a house elf.

Feeling confused, Kayla made her way over to the window and looked out. She could see two figures hurrying along the grounds, one older and considerably more matron-like. The other was a smaller, boy shaped figure. Even at a distance, Kayla could tell it was Remus.

She had frowned, confused. What was Remus doing out at sunset?

As she watched, the two shapes went to the Whomping Willow – the violent tree that had been planted when they first came to Hogwarts. The tree’s swinging tendrils stilled suddenly, and the smaller figure disappeared in among the tree’s roots.

Kayla blinked.

What?

Where did he go?

He didn’t just disappear, surely.

She studied that area, waiting for Remus to pop up again. Nothing happened, and the older figure – Madam Pomfrey, she suspected – began walking back up to the castle.

Kayla had sat on the nearest cot and retched again, feeling confused. The acidic taste left in her throat didn’t help, either. What was Remus doing? Why sit among the roots of a deadly tree for a while?

Suddenly, a house elf rushed into the ward, giving a small squeal when she saw Kayla.

‘Is miss sick?’ she asked, hurrying over to her. Kayla had given a small nod, and thrown up into her bucket – unintentionally, of course, but it reinforced the point. ‘Very,’ she confessed.

The elf nodded and ran to fetch an orange potion in a vial on a shelf across the room, bringing it back to her.

‘Miss has the flu?’ she questioned. Kayla nodded again. The elf passed the vial over to her.

‘Drink in little sips,’ she said, very seriously. ‘Or miss may get more sick!’

Kayla took it gingerly and inspected it, before removing the cork and taking a small gulp. It had burned her throat and tasted horrible.

The Hospital Wing doors swung open suddenly, and Kayla jumped, the shock making her want to vomit again. Madam Pomfrey hurried in, pausing suddenly when she laid her eyes on Kayla.

After a moment, she shook her head slightly and bustled over, immediately going to check Kayla’s temperature. ‘What is it, child? The flu? I was sure I had already dealt with the last of it!’

Kayla shook her head and tentatively took a little more of the potion, her eyes watering as it went down. Pomfrey pursed her lips in disapproval. ‘Very well. Stay here. I’ll be back in a moment.’

Kayla had done as she asked, staying there and thinking about what she had just seen. Remus was just so . . . _confusing_. And the Whomping Willow? What was that about?

She had plenty of time to think at the present moment, but nothing was coming to her. She had quite a few details, but obviously not enough. If she wanted the full story, she’d have to ask Remus himself, and he obviously wasn’t comfortable with that.

She gave a small, defeated sigh. Oh well. She tried, at least.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Please turn over your papers, your time is up. You may leave now.’

Marley grinned and flipped over her sheet of parchment, jumping to her feet and sprinting out of the classroom.

‘We’re done!’ she cheered, jumping up and down like a maniac and grabbing and unsuspecting Lily by the arm, pulling her into the little celebratory party. ‘No more exams ‘til next year! Woo!’

Lily laughed slightly. ‘Well, aren’t _you_ happy.’

‘Heck, yeah!’

She spotted James over the crowd, and bounded over to him. ‘Jamsey!’

He turned around, his grin mirroring each of their own. ‘No more exams!’ He laughed and double high-fived Marley, who was still on the point of overexcitement.

‘You know the best bit?’ she questioned. ‘We have a couple of days off!’

James cheered as the rest of the Marauders joined him, all sporting identical looks of euphoria.

‘We got through alive!’ Sirius cried. ‘You know what this means, James?’

James crowed and slapped him on the back, before the lot of them ran off.

‘Where’d they go?’ Lily asked, looking genuinely confused.

Marley shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

‘I don’t think I _want_ to.’

‘Good decision.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

The end of it all was coming too soon. Time seemed to fly, and before Lily knew it, it was nearly time to say goodbye.

As she walked down to the Great Hall with Marley, she looked around and drank in the sights for the last time before she had to go. The train was due to leave tomorrow, and the Leaving Feast was being held tonight. Lily was happy to be going home, but she knew she would miss the castle.

‘Hope we win,’ Marley said, tucking some golden-brown hair behind her ear. ‘Couldn’t stand it if the Slytherins did.’

Lily agreed, though she didn’t say anything.

They entered the Great Hall and sat down in their usual spot on the bench, which, for some reason, meant Lily was stuck beside Potter. She didn’t know why he was sitting over here instead of somewhere else, but for the sake of doing so, she didn’t say anything. Thankfully, he didn’t notice. Marley quite happily began loading up her plate with roast chicken. Lily looked around, then did the same.

After everyone had eaten all they could and the plates cleaned themselves, Dumbledore stood up, evidently to make a speech of sorts.

‘I hope that the food was to your liking,’ he said, his eyes twinkling. ‘And now, in celebration of our seventh-years leaving, I think is the prime moment to award the House Cup.’

There was a scattering of applause as Dumbledore nodded and Filch passed the cup to him.

‘In fourth place, with three hundred and eighty four points: Slytherin.’

Everyone clapped politely as the Slytherins glared sullenly, which dimmed it out pretty quickly.

‘In third place, with four hundred and twelve points: Hufflepuff.’

The applause was slightly more enthusiastic this time, as the Hufflepuffs were evidently relieved they didn’t come last, as they apparently had the year before.

‘Second place, with four hundred and thirty points . . .’

Dumbledore paused, surveying them all over the top of his half-moon glasses. Lily’s breath hitched, and the Hall was completely silent.

‘Ravenclaw!’

The sound was deafening as the Griffindors screamed and hollered, jumping around and shouting so loudly that the rest of Dumbledore’s speech was drowned out. Everyone was embracing each other and cheering, hats were being thrown in the hair, James hugged Lily, and everything was lost in the moment . . .

* * *

 

** Sirius **

The train whistle rang loud and clear over the commotion being made as everyone climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Sirius leaned against a guard rail, a feeling of dread in his chest.

He was going back to the hellhole. Back to his horrible mother (if she could be called that) and his father, who was practically almost abusive.

At least Reg was there, he decided. His little brother was the only reason he hung around.

Regulus was the child their parents liked better, yet he was obedient, and followed what he believed was right, which was generally Sirius, but sometimes he swayed to the way of their parents. He was going to escape the house next year, with Sirius. He was going to go to Hogwarts, and get away. That thought made him feel a bit better; the prospect of coming back.

Another thought hit Sirius in a wave of dread. He was a Gryffindor. In a family of Slytherins. That wasn’t going to go down well. It’d be worse than the Howler.

‘ _Sirius_. Come on, we’re playing Exploding Snap.’

James elbowed him lightly in the side, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly. Sirius sighed. He couldn’t resist Exploding Snap. He was the best at it, of course.

‘Now I got you,’ James teased, before grabbing him by the wrist and hauling him on the train.

Remus, Kayla/Shortie (he could never decide on an official name for her) Peter, Marley and Evans (he doubted she was here of her own accord) were already in a compartment, and when James brought Sirius in, they looked up from the game they were halfway through.

‘ _There_ he is!’ Remus said, grinning. ‘Bout time, Sirius. We were waiting!’

Sirius rolled his eyes, but he was also grinning. ‘Sure, sure.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

The train ride back home was actually enjoyable, Marley decided. She would be going back to her estate/mansion/giant-house-that-she-seriously-didn’t-need-and-her-parents-enjoyed-using-their-large-sums-of-money-but-hey-at-least-she-had-a-huge-room. It was alright, she guessed.

But she felt really guilty for leaving Sirius with his family. Marley knew them, and they didn’t really like anyone very much, but they still had their high and rich status. If James wasn’t going to do so, maybe she could adopt him for the holidays. Hmm

If there was one thing boys never seemed to get tired of, it was Exploding Snap. They played for almost the whole trip back, and when the trolley lady came along, Marley and Lily had to get up and buy the food so they could feed their faces. About halfway through, Lily left and went off to find Snape, and her leaving practically went unnoticed. And so, to continue being a social person, Marley struck up a conversation with the only non-addicted-to-snap-person/girl in the compartment, which was Kayla.

It was actually a good way to travel.

The train pulled up at King’s Cross all too soon. As the realisation as to where he was going set in, Sirius’ face darkened and he grudgingly went to grab his trunk. In an attempt to cheer him up, Marley spoke.

‘Aww, come on Sirius! Cheer up. Whaddya say about a group hug?’

Sirius went slightly red as everyone in the compartment contributed to that proposition all too enthusiastically, and he was caught in the middle of a tangle of arms. At least she got him laughing.

‘You’re coming with me, okay?’ James said to Sirius. ‘I don’t care what you say, you will. I’m not letting you go back there.’

He seemed to think about it for a long minute before a smile crossed his face and he said, ‘Okay.’

Five minutes later, everyone was out of the train and on the platform, seeking out their various family members and going their own ways. As Marley made her way over to her parents, she waved multiple goodbyes, and decided that this wasn’t a bad way to leave. She’d be back before she knew it, and that was a fantastic prospect in itself.

 


	13. Year 2 - The Cons of Being A Lycanthrope

**_ 13 – The Cons Of Being A Lycanthrope _ **

**_ Remus _ **

Remus woke up to find himself looking at the white ceiling of his bedroom. He was tired. _So tired._ Vague and unstable memories of the previous night started coming back to him, and he shot up, looking around to find his white sheets stained with blood. Sure enough, when he pulled off the cotton t-shirt he was wearing, there was bandaging around his torso, and he could tell from where the redness was seeping through that he had inflicted a nasty cut to his side. Remus winced and collapsed back on the bed.

A scream echoed in the back of his mind. A horrible one.

Biting his lip, Remus racked his brain, trying to figure out where he had heard it; trying to piece together where it had come from. All that came to mind was a pale and terrified face. He could actually smell the fear.

Oh _no._

Burying his face in his hands and quietly muttering a choice curse word he had learnt from Sirius and James the previous year, Remus tried not to fall apart. That was difficult, because he felt as though he were bursting at the seams, and that he was going to blow up, hurting someone else.

Someone _else._

His bedroom door creaked open, and his mother poked her head in. ‘Remus?’

Hope Lupin was one of the most beautiful women in the world, Remus believed. And he was proud to call her his mother. With light brown hair cut in a bob above her shoulders and blue eyes, you could tell where Remus had gotten some of his features from. Others, not so much. While his mother had a petite, upturned nose, Remus’ was straighter, and he had a light scattering of freckles across the bridge, which she lacked. She was also fairly small, and Remus wasn’t too far off overtaking her, height wise.

She pushed the door open fully and came in, dressed in a pale blue singlet top and a white, knee-length skirt. She pushed it shut and sat down on the end of his bed, next to him.

‘Do you know what happened last night?’ she asked gently. Dreading the worst, Remus shook his head.

She reached out to gently touch his shirt, where underneath the bandaging lay. ‘Well, I suppose you may have gathered some,’ she murmured. Straightening up, she looked him in the eyes, a sad look in them.

‘What happened?’ Remus whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

‘Remus, honey, I just want you to know first, this wasn’t your fault. Okay? It – it wasn’t you. It was . . . the other side.’

‘What did I do?’ Remus asked urgently, starting to tremble slightly. ‘What?’

‘I . . .’

‘I hurt someone, didn’t I?’

‘Remus –’

‘Didn’t I, Mum?’ he shouted, getting to his feet. His heart was racing. Oh no. _Oh no, oh no, oh no . . ._

‘You broke out of the shed,’ she said, her voice low, gentle. ‘And got out onto the street. There was . . . there were a few people out there. Muggles.’

Her voice cracked slightly as she used her own title to describe the others, and she put a hand on Remus’ shoulder. He was in shock, and everything was blurry.

‘They called the authorities when they saw you,’ she continued. ‘But you got there first. You attacked one of the people in the group, and they . . . they’re in St Mungo’s now. Undergoing treatment.’

Remus couldn’t breathe. He actually couldn’t breathe. The world was starting to spin, and before he could do anything to stop it, he tumbled off the bed and onto the ground, his head connecting with the wood. With a cry of pain, he curled up into a ball, burying his face into his knees.

He couldn’t hear anything, but he knew his mother was saying something. She knelt down beside him and put his head in her lap, and looking up at her, her expression was urgent. Her mouth moved, but Remus couldn’t figure anything out from her lips. His ears were filled with a dull buzzing.

She turned towards the door and shouted something, and seconds later his father ran in, dropping down beside them both. His parents exchanged words, before his father scooped him up and laid him back on the bed. He left the room shortly after.

His mum gently touched his forehead, and Remus closed his eyes, taking in the warmth of her hand.

He supposed that was when he blacked out.

* * *

 

When Remus woke up, thankfully it was still daylight, and when he looked at his clock it read 12:45. Rubbing his aching head and sitting up, he thought about the situation he was currently in.

He had attacked someone. And he would have turned them into a werewolf in the least, or if the situation was that dire, killed them. The thought made him sick.

Getting quietly to his feet and ignoring the creak of the mattress as he rose, he crossed the room to turn on the light. Unconsciously, his eyes wandered over to the letter sitting on his desk.

Along with James, Sirius, Peter and Lily, Remus had kept up regular correspondence with Kayla, who was staying in Italy for the holidays. He strode over and picked up her most recent letter, reading it for what felt like the millionth time.

_Hey Rem!_

_Guess what? We got to ROME yesterday, and yes, I mean THE Rome. It is so cool. Damn, some of the historical wizarding artefacts they have here in the Muggle museums are fantastic. These Muggles just don’t realise what they’re picking up. I mean, sure, they have a tour guide that is, you know, one of us going around, and he gives us the full explanation, yada yada yada, and it’s pretty awesome. Some of this stuff dates back to the First Goblin Rebellion! Yeah, I know. Go right ahead and be envious of me. You know I’ll revel in it. Anyway, I’ll enclose some pictures so you get a little bit of the experience._

_I’ve gotta go, you know families and when they travel; there’s a strict itinerary that you’ve got to stick to, so I’m off to the Coliseum. Awesome, eh?_

_Hugs,_

_Kayla._

Just looking over her familiar handwriting made him smile slightly, and he felt a little better. Back at school, he liked to tease her about the way she wrote g’s, with a very fancy tail. He did it again in his mind, and this time a full grin crossed his face. 

 _Gee Kaye, they’re just so . . ._ curly.

Those words generally made her bristle, then she’d tell him off for insulting her lovely g’s.

With a small laugh, he set the letter back down, before the reality of his current situation set in.

He froze.

Kayla . . . She was going to get hurt. He just _knew_ it. He hadn’t really taken that thought into account in the last year. The reality of it all just hadn’t set it. But now he knew what he was capable of.

But what was he going to do? He couldn’t just abandon her without warning. He was the only friend she had. If he left her now, she would go back to what she was at the start of first-year. And _no way_ was he going to let her do that. What could he do without hurting her?

He could hear movement up the other end of the house, and the attack made its way back into his mind.

What was going to happen? He wouldn’t get off, surely. He was probably in a load of trouble. He had attacked a _muggle_ who would probably need to be Obliviated.

He – he . . . he _seriously_ didn’t know what was going to happen. And it terrified him.

He pushed open his door and stepped out into the hallway, and made his way into the kitchen. ‘Mum?’

She was at the sink, washing dishes. Pausing when she saw him, she dried her hands on her apron and turned around. ‘There’s a letter for you, honey.’

Remus’ eyes wandered to the bench, where a white envelope sat. Hesitantly, he made his way over and inspected it, not wanting to touch it.

‘When did this come?’ he asked, sparing his mother a glance.

‘Just a little bit after . . .’ She broke off, but Remus could fill in the gaps in his head. _After you did it._

Not daring to breathe, Remus picked up the envelope and tore it open, drawing the parchment from within.

_Dear Mr Lupin,_

_We have received intelligence that you, as a werewolf, attacked a Muggle at fifty-four minutes past eleven this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area and in the presence of multiple Muggles._

_The severity of the breach of the Decree for the Control of Magical Creatures would generally result in your immediate arrest, however until further notice you will only be required to attend a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 1 p.m. on the twenty sixth of August._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Anwen Turner_

_Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures_

_Ministry of Magic_

Remus felt numb. He sought out the key points in the letter the second time around, and a slightly sick, slightly relieved feeling took over him.

‘What does it say?’ his mother prodded after a moment, where he had stood in stunned silence. There was anxiety in the slight lines on her young face; raising a werewolf for a child had begun robbing her of her youth far too quickly.

The letter had been sent last night . . . on the twenty second. He had to attend a hearing tomorrow if he had any hope of remaining in society. The thought scared him.

Silently, he passed the letter over to her.

He watched her face as she read through it, and how the worry deepened even further. When she finished, she placed it back down on the bench and left the house through the back door, calling for his father.

Remus wanted to follow, but he felt he couldn’t. Instead, he just sat down on a chair at the dining table and waited. Soon enough, both of his parents came in.

‘Remus,’ Lyall said, sitting on the chair beside him and giving him a look that was telling him to calm down. ‘Last night, a representative from the Ministry came, but because you weren’t able to say anything for yourself, he left soon after. But he never said anything about a hearing.’

‘You’re lucky, Remus,’ his mother murmured, her eyes shining with tears. ‘They might have arrested you.’ She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. ‘They might have taken my baby away from me,’ she whispered.

‘Now, this hearing,’ his father continued, ‘I just want you to know that we’ll be on your side the whole time. Okay?’

Remus nodded mutely.

A hearing. He was twelve, and he was going to a hearing for something he couldn’t control.

Everything was crashing down on him at once, and it just _wasn’t fair._


	14. Year 2 - Broomsticks And Hearings

**_ 14 – Broomsticks and Hearings _ **

** Remus **

‘Come on.’

Remus was ushered along the hallway, courtrooms with their respective numbers on either side of him.

‘Fourteen, here we go,’ his mother breathed, knocking on the black, wooden door, before pushing it open by the iron handle.

‘Don’t think the full court’s assembled yet, so we’re not late,’ his father muttered, his eyes scanning faces that were probably familiar to him. Remus’ mother bent her knees slightly so her face was level with his, and with a sad smile she brushed a hand over his neatly combed hair.

‘It’s going to be alright, okay?’ she said, looking him directly in the eyes. ‘Just tell the truth, and someone else will be handling the rest.’

‘Won’t – won’t you get in trouble?’ Remus whispered, his heart pumping. ‘Because you technically let me loose in the streets.’

‘Like I said, it will work out. Don’t worry yourself, honey.’ Despite her reassurance, she looked worried herself, and she spared his father a quick glance before turning her attention back to Remus. ‘Now, be good, and make sure you’re polite to whoever’s up there.’

He nodded mutely.

‘Go sit down now.’ She pointed to a chair in the middle of the room. Chains were coiled around the arms and the back. Remus felt sick. It didn’t help that he hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch.

On shaky legs, he made his way over to the chair and sat down. The chains twitched and he jumped violently.

About five minutes later, a witch with her brown hair pulled into a bun sat in the middle of the highest bench, and the slight hubbub subsided.

‘Ready?’ she questioned, looking down the row at a man holding a notepad and quill. When he nodded, she turned to the papers sitting on the bench before her.

‘Disciplinary hearing on the twenty-sixth of August, into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Control of Magical Creatures and the International Statute of Secrecy by Remus John Lupin, resident at 92 Cardelia Drive, Edgware, London.

‘Interrogators: Elizabeth Caroline Dunning, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; Daniel Matthew Edgecombe, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Alistair Conall Hughes. Witnesses for Defence, Hope Clare Lupin, Lyall Scott Lupin, and Albus Percival –’ She broke off, frowning slightly, before continuing slowly and hesitantly. ‘ – Wulfric Brian . . . Dumbledore.’

Remus blinked, eyes wide, before he strained to look around at the bench behind him. His parents were sitting there, and indeed, so was Dumbledore.

He slumped back in his seat, feeling shocked. The greatest wizard of the age . . . at his hearing. More importantly, to defend him. He felt as though “his world had been tipped on its side” as Kayla would have phrased it.

‘The charges against the accused are as follows,’ the witch - Elizabeth - continued. ‘That he, as a fully fledged –’ She cut off, and a look of distaste crossed her features. ‘ - _werewolf_ , remained loose in a Muggle inhabited area on the night of the full moon, on the twenty-fourth of August at fifty-four minutes past eleven, which constitutes as an offence under Paragraph B of the Decree for the Reasonable Control of Magical Creatures.’

She surveyed him over the top of her papers.

‘You are Remus John Lupin, of 92 Cardelia Drive, Edgware, London?’ she prodded, looking him in the eyes. Feeling anxious, Remus cleared his throat.

‘Erm, yes, ma’am.’

‘You were fully aware of your location on the night in question?’

‘Yes.’

‘Were you outside, or not under any sort of containment?’

‘No, ma’am.’

‘Explain, please.’

‘When I -’ His voice came out slightly hoarse. Clearing it again, he had another attempt at speaking. ‘When I change, Mum and Dad lock me in the shed. It usually keeps me contained. I don’t know how, but I obviously managed to break out at some point.’

Mutterings began among the witches and wizards on the lower benches, and Elizabeth gave a slight nod. Alistair was jotting all of this down in his notebook.

‘So, the official charges ought to be pressed upon your parents?’ Elizabeth pressed after a moment. Remus’ heart jumped violently.

‘No!’ he all but yelled, making to stand up, but the chains sprang into action, binding themselves around his wrists, knees and ankles. ‘No,’ he said again, trembling. Hesitantly, he sat back down. The chains made no effort to loosen themselves.

‘Who then, shall take the blame?’ she asked, raising a severe eyebrow.

‘Me,’ he forced out, still shaking. ‘I have to, because _I’m_ the werewolf. Not them.’

‘But they are officially your parental guardians. Until you are legally of age, being seventeen, they are responsible for you.’

‘That doesn’t mean it’s their fault,’ Remus said.

‘Pardon me, madam, but may I add to this?’ A new voice cut over the top of them, and Remus twisted around to see Dumbledore had risen to his feet. Elizabeth gave a curt nod.

‘As we all very well know, lycanthropy is particularly uncontrollable,’ he said, pacing around the floor; around Remus. ‘I don’t see how either the accused or his family should face punishment. First of all, as stated in the Lycanthropy Rights document – Section D Part Two, I believe – that unless family members or close relations are directly affiliated with the incident, they hold no blame. Further down, in Section G, it is stated very clearly that unless the attacks were deliberately planned, the werewolf himself cannot be titled guilty either.’

‘They _have_ been directly affiliated, though,’ Elizabeth objected, pointing her quill towards Remus’ parents. ‘They are the reason we are all here now.’

‘The strength of a werewolf is unpredictable.’

‘He should have been kept somewhere more suitable.’

‘No matter what measures one goes to, they will always fail in the end,’ Dumbledore said loudly, his voice ringing through the room and silencing everyone else.

‘He ought to be expelled and moved away. An asylum in the least, Azkaban at the best.’

‘Is your prejudice against werewolves getting the better of you, Elizabeth?’ Dumbledore asked harshly. ‘An asylum? The boy is not mad; in fact, his mental health is very good. And Azkaban is a place for criminals. Not twelve year old boys who go through more each month than what most of us here in this room will suffer in our entire lives!’

Remus breathed in sharply. He hadn’t looked at his problem in that way. It made it seem worse than he really thought it was. Though, when he gave it consideration, he was used to it. It was something he had accepted he would be dealing with for the rest of his life, and he was quite used to it by now. He supposed that from another’s point of view, it really _was_ horrible, just with Remus it was a fact of reality.

‘Very well,’ Elizabeth said flatly. ‘Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?’

Hands upon hands went into the air, and Remus blinked in surprise. That was . . . that was a lot of hands. He considered comparing them to the rest, but from the angle he was sitting at, it was impossible to tell.

‘And those in favour of conviction?’

Almost just as many raised their hands now; both Elizabeth and Daniel Edgecombe the Senior Undersecretary were with them. Scanning the masses with a sour look on her face, Elizabeth turned back to her papers. ‘Cleared of all charges,’ she said irritably.

A surge of relief ran through Remus, and he nearly fell over as he stood, he was that dizzy. His mother rushed over to embrace him, and he grinned slightly, feeling giddy.

‘You’re cleared!’ she whispered, holding his face between her hands and kissing his forehead. ‘All cleared!’

His father came up beside her and clapped him on the shoulder, a look of relief on his features. ‘That’s my boy.’

As though remembering something, Hope straightened up to find herself face-to-face with Dumbledore. ‘Oh, _thank you_ , Albus,’ she cried, flinging her arms over his shoulders. With a small chuckle, Dumbledore patted her on the back before she broke off, her eyes glistening slightly. Lyall shook his hand, and they exchanged words that Remus was too busy thinking to hear.

 _Cleared of all charges_ . . .

He couldn’t help himself. He grinned.

* * *

  **Lily**

‘Aww, come on, Lil! Give it a try.’

Lily crossed her arms, feeling slightly nervous. ‘ _No._ It’s a broom, Marley!’

‘Just train with me, please? I really want to get on the team!’

‘You’ll get on it easily enough without me.’

Marley, who was sitting on her Comet Forty-Five, gave her an exasperated look. ‘Give it a try. You might even _like_ it, dare I say it.’

Lily sighed, giving in. ‘Fine. But only for a bit.’

Marley whooped and zoomed off towards the broom shed a short distance away.

They were at Marley’s place in the countryside. Personally, Lily really liked it. The house was a big, white mansion that stood out from the green grass, looking very pretty. Trees were scattered everywhere. There was an orchard nearby, and they were in a field at the present moment where on the ground it had been marked out to look like a Quidditch pitch.

Marley shot in beside her, another broom in hand. ‘Here you go,’ she said, grinning. ‘Hop on.’

Tentatively, Lily took it. The only times she had been on a broom were during the classes they’d had at Hogwarts, and even then she hadn’t done too well.

Well, here goes nothing.

She swung her leg over the handle and sat herself on it. She hadn’t realised that she had started trembling.

‘Now, just kick off,’ Marley said unhelpfully.

Alright. She could do this. She _could_.

She breathed in, then out again. In, out, in, out, in . . .

She kicked off.

So to speak, she screamed. Loudly.

‘See!’ Marley yelled over the rushing wind. ‘It’s _fun_ , isn’t it?’

‘No it’s _not!_ ’ Lily wailed back, zigzagging through the air and watching the world move violently underneath her. ‘Nononono _nonononono  ._ . .’

Marley came up beside her. ‘You’re a bit wild,’ she said flatly, trying to keep up with her violent jerking. ‘Straighten up a bit.’ She reached out and steadied Lily’s grip on the broom, and suddenly, she could see properly. ‘Keep going straight,’ Marley repeated.

‘Keep going straight,’ Lily muttered to herself. Marley pulled away, and Lily was on her own again. But she was doing okay.

Gliding over the countryside, Lily properly took in the view. Flying was actually kind of . . . relaxing.

Well, sort of, now that she wasn’t going around like a lunatic.

‘And, we’re comin’ in to land!’ Marley called, diving downwards. Lily choked, before doing as she was bidden, angling downwards. But the ground was coming to fast. Oh god, she was going to die.

Panicking and practically having a fit, Lily screeched and yanked upwards at the last moment. She was flung over the end of the broom and landed on her backside in the soft grass. Marley came down beside her.

‘You alright?’ she asked, looking slightly worried. Lily laughed and nodded. ‘I’m fine.’

Marley cracked a grin. ‘ _So._ Did I change your mind about flying?’

‘No way in hell.’

 


	15. Year 2 - You See Anyone ELSE To Talk To?

**_ 15 – You See Anyone ELSE To Talk To? _ **

** James **

_‘Evans!_ Long time, no see, eh?’

Evans groaned audibly and rested her fingers on her temples, shooting James a look. ‘What do you _want_?’

James plopped down on the bench beside her and grinned. ‘Well, you know. I’m here, you’re here, and I thought we could have a bit of a chat, you know.’

She looked around warily. ‘Alright, what’s going on? You _never_ talk to me for no reason.’

He gestured around the almost-empty train platform. They were a _little_ early (about an hour), but James’ mum wanted to get him out of the house so she could go clothes shopping. His dad was at work, and James didn’t want to stay at home with only the house elf for company, so he agreed to turn up early. ‘You see anyone _else_ to talk to?’

Evans pursed her lips. ‘I suppose. But the fact that you’re choosing me for your company for the next hour is . . . unnerving.’

James snorted. ‘Unnerving? Evans, my dear bird, my company is quite _delightful_. Just ask anyone.’

‘There’s two groups. Do I ask the ones that run screaming, or the ones that have plans to be your future wife?’

James blinked. ‘Gee, they’re keen.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘They’re _girls_ on the brink of adolescence. Of _course_ they’re keen.’

James actually started feeling a little uncomfortable. Girls? Now, that was a bit of a weird topic for him. To him, girls were just . . . people. He didn’t really like the idea that he’d end up _liking_ one. And Evans? Nah, he didn’t _like_ her. Sure, he had that temporary fascination last year, but he was through with that faze. He didn’t like her anymore. Not in that way. She just had stunning eyes and was fun to pull pranks on. He also supposed she was pretty – for a twelve year old, anyway. But that didn’t mean anything.

Hiding his discomfort, he flashed a grin. ‘You know, I think I know _why_ we’ve had as many misunderstandings as we have.’

Evans arched an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’

‘You see,’ James said, casually putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her straight into his side, ‘we just need to . . . get to know each other, so to speak.’

‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ she muttered, grimacing as she slipped out of his grip.

‘Aww, come on, Evans!’ James whined, pulling a pleading face. ‘Who knows, we might even get something out of this!’

She chewed her lip, thinking. ‘Fine. But only because it will pass time. _And no more touching me._ ’

James gave a mock salute. ‘Yes ma’am.’

She sighed. ‘What will we talk about?’

‘Um . . .’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley stopped pushing her trolley immediately and grabbed Sirius by the arm, pulling him up short. He looked at her confusedly. ‘What?’ he asked.

‘Do you see what I see?’ Marley asked, grinning.

‘No.’

She pointed through the crowd of people, over at a bench against a brick wall. ‘ _Look_.’

Sirius did as he was told, and laughed. ‘No way . . .’

Lily and James were actually in a metre radius of each other, and even better, talking like civilised people. And nothing seemed to have gone wrong. Lily was _actually_ laughing. Well and truly.

‘I feel like we should treat ourselves to ice-cream or something,’ Marley said out of the corner of her mouth, feeling triumphant. Sirius nodded, looking just as smug.

‘Prongs and Lily Flower . . .’ he said, as though he couldn’t actually believe it. He turned to Marley. ‘Maybe things’ll change this year?’

* * *

 

** Sirius **

He spoke too soon. Within a matter of minutes, Evans and James went their separate ways, Evans looking thoroughly brassed off. When Marley went off to follow Lily, Sirius approached James feeling thoroughly surprised, though the latter didn’t even seem fazed.

‘What did you do?’ he prodded. James only smirked.

‘I asked her a question,’ was his simple reply. Sirius didn’t even _want_ to know.

They were interrupted when Sirius got a tap on the shoulder, and he looked around to find Shortie (still just as small as she ever was), a tabby cat in its cage sitting on top of her trunk beside her, yowling. ‘Have you seen Remus?’ she asked, fiddling with the end of her long braid. Sirius responded with a shake of his head, and she pursed her lips, looking slightly disappointed. He turned back to James. ‘Seem Rem around, James?’

When James replied with his own “no”, Shortie gave a small nod. ‘Alright then. I’ll just . . . go find him.’

‘Nah,’ Sirius said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her up short. ‘Stick with us. We’ll track him down.’

She eyed his grip on her and he let go hastily. ‘Okay then,’ she said slowly. ‘Where are we going to look? He should be here by now; the train’s about to leave.’

James pointed two fingers to the scarlet Hogwarts Express, and said, ‘then we shall look over _there_ , my fellow adventurers!’

Shortie rolled her eyes, but consented.

* * *

 

** Remus **

_Buggerbuggerbuggerbuggerbuggerbuggerbugger . . ._

Bugger.

Remus’ eyes darted between compartments, trying to find somewhere. Somewhere to _hide_.

He needed to figure out what he was going to do, and that wouldn’t be possible if Kayla – or anyone, for that matter – was there, because he would most likely change his mind.

He pushed open the door to an empty compartment and shoved his trunk up onto the rack, before pulling out a large History textbook to hide his head behind. He then sat himself down in the corner and opened it up so he covered his face.

So. Game plan. He had been thinking about it for the remainder of the holidays, but he still didn’t know what he was going to do. Kayla couldn’t find out, and he refused to hurt her – physically. Emotionally might be unavoidable.

At the moment, his best option was to try and pass her off to Lily and Marlene, and hope that they accepted her. Lily was a nice girl – he hoped that she would. Marlene . . . he didn’t really know her; she was more of Sirius’ forte. But all the same, everything depended on that she was willing.

But he had to do this discreetly. He couldn’t just drop Kayla. His best friend. It would hurt both of them too much. He had to edge himself away, little by little, until they had gone their separate ways. It was his only option. She was bound to get suspicious of his frequent disappearances, and that morning in the common room had come too close. If she found out what he was . . . she would know how much of a monster he really was. She would be horrified. She would leave without looking back, and Remus . . . he knew it was going to happen eventually if he didn’t put a stop to it.

James, Sirius and Peter . . . well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. They weren’t the brightest of sorts. Maybe they wouldn’t notice.

He snorted in spite of himself. Yeah _right_. Wouldn’t notice . . . what was he thinking?

_Bang!_

The door slid open, revealing a very triumphant James, Sirius, and tagging along behind, Kayla. Remus quickly hid his look of shock and grinned.

‘Been looking for you,’ James announced, casually chucking his trunk up onto the rack.

‘Apparently,’ was Remus’ amused response.

‘Weird compartment to choose,’ Sirius commented. ‘There are plenty of empty ones.’

‘Oh.’ What Remus didn’t say was that it was near the back of the train, and that it would have been unlikely that they would have looked there. ‘Well, this one’s quieter, I guess.’

‘Huh,’ Kayla said, sitting down beside him and studying his face, sounding disbelieving. ‘What’s _happened_ to you?’ she asked incredulously.

Remus’ fingers instantly jumped to the weal on his cheek, which had only begun to scab over not long ago, and tried to act nonchalant, pulling together a story in his head. ‘I uh, ran into a fence. Barbed wire.’

‘You’ve had a tetanus shot, right?’

Remus waved her off. ‘I’ll be fine. I don’t need shots. Dad’s had his fair share of medical charms.’

‘ _Right_.’

‘Where’s Pete?’ Remus asked, desperate to change where this conversation was heading. James suddenly looked a little bit confused, before that expression changed to guilt. ‘Um . . .’

The question however, was answered almost instantly when the compartment door slid open again, revealing a shocked looking Peter. ‘You’ll _never_ guess what I saw earlier! James! And _Lily_! Together! Talking!’

He then seemed to register that James was right in front of him and flushed slightly, trailing off into inaudible mutterings. Sirius only laughed.

‘I know, right? Personally I think we should start expecting the apocalypse.’

‘Hey!’ came James’ indignant response. ‘Just ‘cause I managed to talk to the bird . . .’

Kayla made a small noise, and Remus looked at her to find that she apparently was on the brink of bursting into uncontrollable laughter. ‘Oh, bravo, James,’ she said, grinning. ‘You _talked_ to her. Definitely worth applauding.’

‘In his case, it is,’ Remus commented dryly. ‘He’s a bit insensitive in regards to this whole “talking to girls” thing.’

James made another noise of objection, before an idea seemed to come to him. ‘You sleep in the same dorm as Evans, don’t you?’ he prodded, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, fixing Kayla with a look that Remus knew would lead to trouble.

‘Erm, yes?’ she replied uncertainly, eyeing him warily.

‘You can talk to her?’

‘No . . .’

‘Oh.’ His face fell, as though his plan had crumbled just as quickly as it had been formed. He then gave Kayla an odd expression. ‘Why not? You’re girls. Don’t you all just sit on one bed, and do each other’s hair and gossip?’

Kayla choked. ‘I’m sorry, _what?_ ’

He pulled an exasperated face. ‘Don’t tell me you’re all separated into little groups or something.’

She replied, keeping her expression neutral. ‘We are, actually.’

James blinked. ‘What? But that’s just . . . huh?’

‘Lily and Marlene are always off together,’ Kayla started, holding up two fingers. ‘And then you’ve got Claire and Imogen.' She held up another two. 'And then there's me.' She finished with all five in the air.

He looked confused. ‘But, why don’t you all just hang out and be buddies?’

She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Girls obviously seem to clash a lot more than you boys do. Sometimes, there are people who don’t get along. Have you ever stuck Marlene and Claire in the same room?’

James’ face darked. ‘Yes, actually. It wasn’t pretty.

She raised her hands, her palms turned outwards. ‘Exactly my point. So, those two groups don’t ever want to cooperate with each other, and I’m just on the sidelines.’

She was greeted by the blinking of a stunned compartment full of boys. Even Remus was slightly surprised. He never . . . well, he didn’t understand girls, okay?

Kayla sighed. ‘Well, then.’

‘I _never_ ,’ Sirius said, sounding shocked. He looked back at Kayla. ‘That was some speech, Shortie.’

‘Are you _still_ calling me that? Do you even know my name?’

 


	16. Year 2 - James Stole All Of The Chocolates!

**_ 16 – James Stole All Of The Chocolates! _ **

** Lily **

The door to Lily and Sev’s compartment slammed open and Marley burst inside.

‘James stole all of my chocolates!’ she wailed. ‘ _Again!_ ’ She threw herself down on the seat and flung her arms around Lily’s neck, burying her face into the latter’s shoulder.

Lily looked over at Sev whose eyes were wide in surprise, and stifled a laugh. Instead she looked down at the distressed girl clinging to her. ‘Again?’

‘He broke into my stash on the holidays,’ Marley muttered, her voice muffled through the material of Lily’s robes. ‘And just then I went to the bathroom, before coming back to find my trunk open and my newest supply stolen!’

Lily gave Sev an apologetic look before giving the overdramatic girl what was supposed to be a reassuring pat on the back. ‘Alright, Marley, calm down. We’ll go find Potter, retrieve your sugar, then smack him upside the head. Okay?’

Marley sat up and gave Lily an evaluating look before giving a satisfied nod. ‘Right.’ She got to her feet and Lily wearily followed in suit, giving Sev a small wave goodbye. ‘I’ll see you again soon.’ He looked a bit disappointed, but nodded. As they went out the door, Marley also waved. ‘Bye, Snape.’

Marley then grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her up the corridor, looking through the glass doors of each compartment. When they reached the end of the train, she finally threw one of them open with a triumphant ‘HA!’

Potter, Sirius, Peter, Remus and Kayla were inside, and somehow – _somehow_ , a cat had made its way on to Sirius’ lap, of all people. It hissed at their abrupt entrance and dug its claws into his legs. Sirius gave a yell, and the cat scarpered up into the darkness of the luggage racks. Kayla looked up at the pair of green eyes glaring down at them and sighed. No one bothered to try and coax it down.

Rubbing his legs in irritability, Sirius looked up at Lily and Marley. Marley burst into laughter and he made a noise of indignation.

‘You try petting that beast!’

Marley raised her hands in surrender. ‘I’ll pass.’

He grumbled. ‘And why are you here?’

Marley whirled on Potter, who was wearing a slight grin. ‘Do you have something to return to me, _buddy?_ ’

He shrugged, the truth obviously shining out of every inch of his gleeful face. ‘Nope. Did you need something, Marls?’

She stuck out her hand impatiently. ‘Hand over the chocolate.’

Potter put a hand over his heart in mock surprise. ‘So quick to accuse, m’lady! So quick to accuse!’

Marley rolled her eyes, before shoving Potter aside and flipping open his trunk, instantly giving a yell of satisfaction. She brought out a plastic container full of assorted chocolates, a smug look on her face. ‘You,’ she said, bopping Potter over the head with the container, ‘have just been proven guilty.’

He pulled a face. ‘Damn it.’

Hugging her chocolate in close to her chest, Marley squeezed herself into the small space between Sirius and Peter, before cracking off the lid and biting the head off a chocolate frog. Wordlessly, she handed Sirius the container, still watching Potter.

‘How come you give him the chocolate?’ he cried, aghast. Marley poked her tongue at him.

‘ _He_ doesn’t steal it to begin with.’

‘Yeah, James,’ Sirius said, smirking and eating a frog himself. ‘ _I_ don’t steal it.’

Marley swatted him on the shoulder. ‘Shush, you.’

‘I have my rights.’

Marley tugged the container back off him. ‘Not anymore.’

Sirius looked up at Lily. ‘Sit down, would you, Evans? You just look so bloody socially awkward that it’s ruining the aura of awesomeness that I’m casting over everyone.’

Lily hesitated, but at Marley’s insistence (‘Just hang around please, Lil.’) she folded her skirt in close around her legs and slotted herself between Remus and Potter. But _only_ because it was the one gap she could find.

She looked up at the luggage racks, where the cat was still peering down. She pointed. ‘What’s it called?’

Kayla opened her mouth to answer, but Remus cut in.

‘I’ve dubbed that thing Fried Chicken.’

Kayla glared at him. ‘For the last time, his name is _not_ Fried Chicken!’

Lily burst into laughter. ‘ _Fried Chicken?_ ’

Kayla pulled a face. ‘Don’t ask me _where_ he got it. Anyway, his name is Chance.’

Remus turned to Lily. ‘Fried Chicken has a better ring to it, don’t you think?’

She could barely shake her head through her laughing.

Kayla rolled her eyes and stood up, reaching towards the cat. ‘Here, puss puss.’

With a meow (bleat?), the cat crawled out of his hole and butted his head against Kayla’s hand. Kayla then grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him down before he could latch on to something. Sirius leaned away as she sat back down.

‘Keep that thing away from me. It’s vicious!’

Kayla only gave a small laugh and scratched Chance behind the ears. ‘You just don’t like stupid, insensitive boys, do you, baby?’ she cooed. Remus burst into laughter.

‘Stupid . . . insensitive boys?’ he choked out, red in the face. ‘God, Kaye, do I come under that heading?’

She smirked at him. ‘What do you think? Of course you do.’

Lily gave him what was supposed to be a sympathetic pat on the back, laughing herself. ‘Too bad, Remus.’

Remus rolled his eyes. ‘Pass that cat over, will you?’ he asked. ‘Want to see if he likes me.’

‘It’s your funeral.’ Kayla reached over and plopped the tabby cat on his lap. Chance hissed at Remus, who blinked in surprise, before springing off and back onto Sirius’ lap again, curling up and going to sleep.

Sirius reeled backwards, his arms thrown out awkwardly. ‘The beast has made its return,’ he complained, eyeing it warily. Kayla crossed her arms. ‘You shouldn’t have let him get so attached to you, then.’

Sirius blanched.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

When the train stopped and Sirius had finally managed to detach the cat, the lot of them milled around outside, unsure of what to do. As far as they all knew, the boats were only for the first years. So how did the older students get up to the castle?

‘You’re a bunch of wusses, all of you,’ Lily muttered irritably. ‘We _just_ have to ask for help.’ And so, turning around, she asked the nearest third-year what to do.

‘Erm, excuse me?’

The boy, who had brown hair and kind eyes, turned. ‘Yes?’

‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’

‘First-years?’ the boy asked. Lily shook her head. ‘Second.’

‘Ah. Right.’ The boy grinned. ‘You see those carriages?’ he asked, pointing over the commotion. Lily nodded, standing on tiptoe. ‘Just get in one of them and they’ll take you up to the school.’

‘But – but they have no horses,’ Lily said confusedly.

The boy shook his head. ‘I know. Crazy, eh? Anyway, just go with it. It’s what the rest of us do.’

‘Alright,’ Lily said, her feet sitting flat against the ground again. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem.’ The boy stuck out his hand. ‘I’m Frank. Frank Longbottom.’

Lily shook it. ‘Lily Evans. And thank you again.’

With a grin and a wave goodbye, Frank left to join the group of friends that were waiting for him. Lily turned back to the others.

‘See? That wasn’t so bad,’ she said. ‘Let’s go find those carriages now.’

Peter blinked. ‘Lily Evans,’ he said, slightly awestruck, ‘you have a way with people.’

Lily rolled her eyes. ‘No, I don’t. Now come on, we don’t want them all to be filled up before we get there.’

* * *

 

_Splat!_

‘ARGH!’

Sirius raised his blue, paint covered arms and looked up. The lot of them were splattered with bright colours and . . . _who introduced Peeves to paintballing?_

The poltergeist cackled and sat in the air upside down, the bell on his hat jangling incessantly. There were multiple balloons in his arms filled with paint and -

Sirius reached up to pull something out of his hair. Pineapple chunks too, by the look of it.

Lily, who was splattered from head to toe in purple, growled. ‘PEEVES!’

James, who was standing next to her (the yellow suited him quite nicely), laughed and clapped her on the back, smearing and mixing the colours. ‘Cheer up Evans! We’re rainbow people now!’

‘ _Rainbow people?_ James Potter, this is your SCHOOL UNIFORM! Don’t you even _care?_ ’

James shrugged nonchalantly. ‘We’ve got house elves for a reason, Evans.’

Lily groaned in frustration just as Professor McGonagall swept into the hall. ‘ _Peeves!_ ’

Peeves snapped to attention and grinned at McGonagall. ‘Wasn’t doing nothing, ma’am.’

She pointed her finger towards the staircase. ‘Out!’

With a cackle, Peeves dumped the last of his paint bombs on Lily and zoomed out of the hall. Lily, now completely rainbow, looked close to bursting into tears. McGonagall came over to them, and with a flick of her wand, they were all dry and paint-free. ‘Move along, now.’

With hurried thanks, the lot of them crowded into the steadily-filling Great Hall and took their seats down at the Gryffindor table. Sirius scanned the masses. No, the first-years hadn’t come in yet.

As though his thoughts had been read, the rest of the students took their seats and the doors swung open again, revealing McGonagall who started leading the first-years down the middle of the hall. Sirius spotted Regulus among them, and gave his nervous little brother a thumbs-up when they made eye contact. Regulus’ pale face filled with colour slightly, and he looked a little more relaxed.

The students made it up to the front of the hall, where they watched the Sorting Hat sitting on its stool with looks of confusion. They all jumped in surprise when the brim opened and it began to sing. The whole time, completely ignoring the hat, Sirius gave his brother looks of encouragement, trying to convey the message that he was going to be alright, and that their parents wouldn’t be as mad at him as they had at Sirius if he ended up in a different house. At least they didn’t hit Regulus; they liked him too much.

He didn’t think it got through. When McGonagall began calling out names, all of the calmness that had begun gathering in the younger boy’s face dissipated, and his courage seemed to fall all the way down into his shoes.

‘Black, Regulus.’

James leaned over to Sirius. ‘That’s your brother, isn’t it?’

Sirius nodded mutely. Regulus stumbled over to the stool and sat down. The hat dropped over his eyes.

The moment of silence hurt Sirius’ skull; the worry was too much.

He crossed his fingers.

‘ _Slytherin!_ ’

Relief. That was what flowed through his systems.

At first Sirius was confused. If Reg was in Slytherin, he couldn’t protect him. But . . . the wrath of their parents was too much to incur. This was probably best.

Pulling off the hat and getting to his feet, Reg’s eyes scanned the hall until they found Sirius. He looked worried, though Sirius put on a reassuring face and gave his brother a thumbs-up. Regulus looked relieved, and with a small smile, made his way over to the Slytherin table.

Sirius turned around and stared at his empty plate, nothing really registering other than that Regulus was probably going to be okay. Names passed through his head, in one ear and out the other. _Meadowes, Dorcas . . . Prewett, Alice . . . Zeller, Brian . . ._

It gave him a shock when the plates filled with food, and James instantly started brandishing a fork of roast beef in his face. ‘Eat, Black, _eat!_ ’

With a small laugh, Sirius obliged.


	17. Year 2 - Stupid Squids

**_ 17 – Stupid Squids _ **

** Marlene **

Marley woke up to a ball of fur in her face. Eck.

Seriously. It was _actually_ on her face.

With a bit of a strangled cry and some violent arm flailing, she shot straight up, and the fur went flying with a hiss.

‘What in the world - ?’ Spitting hair out of her mouth and sweeping her own tangled, curly mass out of her face, she looked around to find a puffed up tabby cat dangling off Lily’s four-poster curtains.

‘Where did this cat come from?’ Marley wailed. ‘Kayla! Your . . . _thing_ was sleeping on my face!’

There was a non-committal grumble from the other end of the dormitory. Marley huffed. _Clearly_ she had no sympathy.

‘What do I do with it?’ she prodded loudly, still watching the beast as it unhooked its claws from the material, crawling up onto the top of the bed frame. He looked down at Marley with a mew.

There was no response. Kayla had obviously gone back to sleep.

The cat meowed again, this time looked confused as to how it was going to get down from its perch. With an eye roll and a dramatic huff, Marley marched over to it until it was directly overhead. Lily was snoring quietly on the other side of the curtains. What a twit. She could sleep through anything.

Reaching up for the cat and clicking her fingers impatiently, Marley watched it as it promptly turned away from her, just like cats do.

Right.

Bugger all, then.

Grabbing onto one bedpost with her right hand and hauling herself onto the mattress (standing on the curtains while she did so), she stuck her spare hand out again.

‘Come here, you useless furball.’

Chance glared at her. Marley glared back. Heck, she _invented_ killer glares.

The cat kept glaring, so she reached up and smacked it on the top of the head.

Ka-chow. Take that!

Chance hissed and turned around, stepping about awkwardly. He then sprung down, on the other side of the curtains.

By the sound of it, he landed on Lily’s face.

‘Ahh! Cat!’

‘Marley’s coming to the rescue,’ Marley muttered, going to wrench the curtains apart. Her foot caught on the material and she tumbled forward, getting wrapped up in a cocoon of material.

And so, she went tumbling down like a log. ‘Euah!’

‘Ahh! Marley!’

Lily wasn’t comfortable in the slightest to land on. Marley flopped about and wriggled as the curtains were torn down from the frame, and Lily squirmed beneath her. ‘You’re heavy!’

Ignoring this, Marley turned on her side and started rolling. Sure enough, the curtains came off her as she fell onto the floor with an incredibly loud smack.

That was when she was assaulted by a can of Sleekeazy's hairspray. Lifting her head out of her tangle of limbs, she looked up to see a sleep-deprived and irritable Imogen scowling at her.

‘Do you know,’ she said slowly, ‘what time it is?’

Marley shrugged, a small grin creeping its way onto her face. ‘Please enlighten me, hon.’

Imogen’s eye twitched. ‘Four fifty-five.’

‘Quite normal by my clock. Would you like me to fetch you a coffee? Or will the caffeine explode your systems?’

‘You’re so immature, Marlene,’ she grumbled, flopping back into her sheets.

‘I like to revel in it,’ she said. She got to her feet and smirked. ‘And besides, none of this would have happened if there wasn’t a cat sleeping on my face.’

Imogen groaned and twisted herself onto her stomach, pulling her pillow over her head. ‘Nice cover story.’

‘Cover story, my foot,’ she shot back, looking out the window before making a beeline for her trunk. It was early. A swim in the Black Lake sounded nice for this sort of weather.

* * *

 

‘Sirius. _Sirius_.’

‘Mghnef.’

‘You wanna go swimming?’

A pair of partially opened eyes surfaced above the blankets, and finally Marley had something to look at besides the revolting messiness of the boys’ dormitory. It seemed that even _Remus_ didn’t keep things tidy. Boys. At least the girls were mildly neat.

‘Swimming?’

‘In the lake,’ she responded, grinning. ‘You want to go?’

Sirius seemed to be contemplating this for a moment, before he gave a short nod.

‘Awesome,’ Marley said. ‘Meet me in the common room in five.’

* * *

 

‘What on _earth_ made you think of going swimming this early?’ Sirius asked as they walked bare-footed down the grassy slope of the grounds. As she had said, they met up in the common room, Sirius dressed in a pair of shorts, while Marley had just pulled on the first one-piece she could find.

‘Nice weather,’ Marley said. Sirius looked up at the sky. ‘It looks like it’s going to rain,’ he said flatly.

‘Exactly my point.’

Sirius cracked a grin. ‘That’s my girl. Race you down there!’

‘Oh, you’re on!’

They both broke into a sprint and flew down the hill, the lake coming closer and closer.

‘I’m going to beat you!’ Marley said in a sing-song voice.

‘Not a chance!’

They both seemed to skid into the water at the exact same time, and both let out cries of shock as the freezing water engulfed them. God, it was cold. Sirius slipped over and was completely submerged. Marley laughed as he surfaced and shook his head, sending water flying everywhere. ‘Cold,’ he muttered. ‘Coldcoldcoldcold _cold_.’

‘I think you’ve already made that point,’ Marley laughed, rubbing at her goosebump covered arms. The pale blonde hairs were standing on end.

‘Not enough,’ Sirius said, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her under. With a scream, Marley’s head dipped below the water. She opened her eyes and she could see Sirius, who had also gone under. He grinned at her. She grinned back, the cold finally turning her nutty.

There was a movement in the blackness behind him. With a frown, she squinted her eyes, trying to see, before bobbing to the surface momentarily for air. When she was back down, she looked again. Sirius was pulling stupid faces at her. She pointed, and he turned. He watched it for a moment, before pointing above them. Getting the message, Marley swam above the water.

‘Do you know what it is?’ she asked as he bobbed up beside her.

‘You bet I know,’ he said, grinning. ‘But you don’t, I take it?’

Marley shook her head. ‘Don’t stuff around with me, Sirius, what is it?’

‘It’s a lake monster,’ he said, clapping her on the back. ‘But no need to worry, Poppet, it will kill you quickly. You don’t need to fret about pain or anything.’

Marley pulled a face at him. ‘Shut it, you. I want to get a closer look.’

‘You sure?’

‘You bet I’m sure. Let’s go.’ Marley dog-paddled a little further out before ducking down again. Sirius followed.

The water was murkier out here, and it was harder to see. All the same, she looked around. Sirius pointed below them, where the shadows shifted. Marley grinned and swum downwards.

The surface was getting further and further away, and Marley was running out of air. She had no doubt that Sirius was, too. In the last few moments, she pushed herself further down.

She collided head-on with something slimy. She screeched, and the last of the air she had disappeared. The surface was too far away.

Bugger. Bugger.

She tried huge, frog-like motions, but the distance was still too huge. Her vision was going hazy, and her lungs burned. Nononononononononono . . .

Something that felt like a thick, slimy rope looped its way around her torso, and suddenly water was tearing past her at a ridiculous pace.

She was thrust out into the open air, gasping like a fish.

‘Oh my god,’ she muttered, blinking. ‘Oh my _god_.’

Sirius surfaced, looking terrified. ‘Marley!’ he shouted. ‘The monster’s got you!’

Marley touched the slimy thing that was still holding her and shrieked, trying to wriggle out of its grip with no avail.

‘It’s going to kill me, Sirius!’ she wailed, her heart beating violently in her chest. ‘It’s going to freaking _kill_ me!’

‘I know!’ he shouted back. ‘What do you want me to write on your will?’

‘That I’m not leaving you anything!’ she cried.

‘I’m offended!’

‘You should be!’

Suddenly, the terror left Sirius’ face and he started grinning. He let out a whoop of laughter.

‘I don’t believe you!’ Marley shrieked.

‘No, no, no, that’s not it.’

‘ _What_ , then?’

‘It’s not a lake monster!’

‘ _What?’_

‘It’s the Giant Squid!’

Marley froze. Giant Squid? She slowly turned her head, and took in what was holding her. It was a tentacle.

The biggest surge of relief went through her, and she quite happily went limp as the squid lowered her to the surface of the water. When it let her go, Sirius paddled over to her, laughing.

‘Marley was scared by a Giant Squid,’ he teased. Marley glared.

‘Shut up. You were too, remember?’

‘Nah, I wasn’t,’ he said matter-of-factly.’

‘I hate you,’ Marley muttered. Sirius grinned. ‘No, you don’t.’

Marley wished he wasn’t right all of the time. It would smack the smug look off his face in the least.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

It seemed that cats caused a lot more destruction than one would expect. So, before she could have all of the blame pinned on her, she scooped up Chance and plodded down to the common room, lazily throwing herself onto a couch. She had about an hour before she should go down to breakfast, so she needed to blow that time somehow. Chance clawed into her chest, causing her to wince, then curled up, purring loudly. No one seemed to be up yet, save Marley, but Kayla had no idea where she had gone off to. She’d be lucky if she _ever_ found out.

Scratching Chance behind the ears, Kayla contemplated life a little. She was actually starting to wonder if she wouldn’t be so bad off if she made some other friends. Remus was great, and she was never going to take him for granted, but he had other people in his life too. Like James, Sirius, Peter and Lily. So, if he could do it, maybe Kayla could find some more people. She had been living by herself for way too long.

She would be lying if she said this was the first time she had thought about it. Friends and people were a major topic that was on her mind. They were something that was one of the most important factors in everyone’s life, except for Kayla. She didn’t find friends important; she never _had_ , though she was starting to wonder just how unhealthy that was. It wasn’t going to leave her better off, anyway. Remus was right when he said she needed friends. She wished she had seen it sooner. Remus wasn’t going to be around all the time. In fact, he disappeared quite often.

Kayla had given Remus’ routine illnesses quite some thought. This was what she had pulled together so far:

  1. His mother was frequently “sick”, meaning he disappeared roughly once a month, or he was just sick for himself.
  2. He had always been sickly looking himself for the small handful of days leading up to that time.
  3. For some _weird_ reason, Madam Pomfrey needed to escort him to the Whomping Willow.
  4. He would turn back up at sunrise, scratched and bruised and looking like a horrific mess.
  5. He always got protective and defensive towards anything regarding this topic.



Something was obviously wrong. Kayla just had to figure out what it was.

‘If that cat purrs any louder, I’ll be you anything that it will wake up the entire castle.’

Kayla craned her neck around to find the boy of her thoughts standing on the boys’ staircase, smirking slightly. She gave Chance another scratch and pulled a face. ‘He’s just placid, okay?’

It was Remus’ turn to pull a face. ‘Placid? That thing _hates_ me!’

‘Probably because you insist on calling him Fried Chicken.’

Remus laughed and crossed the common room, sitting on the armchair beside her. ‘I still think that’s what you should have called him.’

Kayla shook her head stubbornly. ‘Only idiots come up with names like those.’

He grinned. ‘One idiot, at your service.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘I swear, some days you’re just as cocky as James or Sirius.’

He laughed again. ‘What would you expect? I live with them.’

‘True.’

He reached out tentatively to pat Chance. The cat’s ears went back flat against his head as he recognised the different smell, and he turned to face Remus, hissing. His hand jumped back and the cat went to sleep again.

‘Still hates me,’ Remus muttered.

‘It might change,’ Kayla reasoned.

‘Yeah. Maybe.’ He breathed in. ‘Okay, the reason I came down here: I want to talk to you about something.’

Kayla frowned slightly. Where was this going? ‘Yes?’

‘Well, I . . .’ He paused, trying to decide how he was going to say it. ‘I just – you see –’

‘Just say it simply, Remus.’

He nodded. ‘Okay. Well, you know how I’m always saying you should have friends?’

Kayla blinked. Had she not been thinking about this a few minutes ago? ‘Yes?’

‘I reckon you should give Lily and Marley a chance. One at a time, maybe, if you’re not quite ready, but I think you should try.’

Kayla nodded slowly. ‘I know. I’ve been thinking about it myself and – well, I think I should try too.’

The smallest of smiles started creeping on his lips. ‘Really?’

She gave a confirming smile. ‘Yes. Now I just have to go and find the courage.’

‘That’s amazing, you know? Pretty damn amazing.’

‘I know,’ she said breathily, laughing slightly in spite of herself. ‘It’s a huge jump for me.’

‘But it’s a life-changing one.’

‘Yes. Definitely.’

He paused, then said, ‘I would hug you, but the cat’s there.’

Kayla looked down at Chance, then back up at Remus. ‘I seriously don’t think he’s moving any time soon.’

Remus shook his head, pulling a face. ‘No. And I’m not coming anywhere near you while he’s there.’

She laughed. ‘I’m not sure whether I should feel offended or not.’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know, either. That was a weird comment.’

‘You’re a weird person, Remus Lupin.’

He puffed out his chest slightly, grinning. ‘I take pride in it.’

‘I know bloody well you do.’

They were interrupted by the sound of the Portrait Hole swinging open, and they both turned.

‘Sirius?’ Remus asked incredulously. ‘What happened to _you?_ ’

Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon were standing at the hole in naught but their swimmers, dripping water all over the carpet.

‘It’s something pretty damn epic, I’ll give you that, Remus,’ Sirius said, grinning. Kayla raised her eyebrows at Marlene, who rolled her eyes. ‘I believe it was _me_ who was caught up in the epicness, Sirius.’

‘At this rate, I’m going to think you were attacked by the Giant Squid,’ Remus commented dryly.

There was no response.


	18. Year 2 - Bets Tend To Backfire

**_ 18 – Bets Tend To Backfire _ **

** Remus **

Minutes after Sirius and Marlene left to change into drier clothing, Remus excused himself and made a run down to the Great Hall. Hurriedly snatching up a piece of buttered toast and accepting his timetable from Professor McGonagall, he whirled around and left again.

He wandered aimlessly, so to speak, munching on his toast and looking about, thinking on what to do. Part one of his master plan had just gone down – Mission Convince Kayla – and now he had to set the next stage into action. He knew that despite what she said, Kayla wasn’t going to do this on her own. She still needed a little push.

Or, maybe he also had to work from the other side.

As the idea hit him, Remus couldn’t help but feel proud of his own ingenious.

* * *

 

‘Lily.’

He got responses from both Lily and Marlene, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table next to her. The corners of Lily’s lips quirked up into a smile. ‘Hey, Remus. What’s up?’

‘Can I talk to you?’ he asked. ‘Both of you, actually.’

Marlene blinked in surprise as she was added to this conversation, before looking at Lily for consent, who nodded. ‘Sure.’

They both scooted back the bench they were sitting on and got up. Remus turned around and walked out of the hall, leading them into a small chamber and shutting the door. He bolted it before turning around. Lily seemed slightly worried, while Marlene simply looked amused.

‘What’s this about?’ the former asked. Remus took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

‘Okay, if you’re willing, I have a seriously important task to bestow upon you. As in, majorly serious.’

The red head gave a small nod and Marlene raised her eyebrows.

‘You want to do it?’ he asked uncertainly. ‘Even though I haven’t told you yet?’

Lily gave a small laugh. ‘Remus, you only look this worried when something incredibly important in your life is turning on its side. Of _course_ we’re going to help you.’

Remus breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Okay, this may be a little bit of a burden.’

‘Can you cut to the point, please?’ Marlene asked, her eyes wide to the point of owlishness. ‘I want to know who you want me to hex.’

Remus blinked. ‘No. I don’t want you to hex anyone. Sorry if I caused any inconvenience,’ he added with a small laugh as her face filled with disappointment.

Lily waved her arms in a _go on_ motion. ‘Well?’

‘IneedyoutotryandbefriendswithKaylaforme.’ It all came out in a jumbled rush, within a matter of seconds his face was flushed.

Marlene’s brow furrowed. ‘Say that again,’ she said, ‘slower, and more coherently if you please.’

‘Yes,’ Lily added. ‘I didn’t catch that.’

Flushing even redder, Remus started again. ‘I can’t say why, but I need you to try and be friends with Kayla for me. Please? She really needs some girls in her life.’

Lily gave a small laugh. ‘What’s so bad about that? You sounded like you were going to ask us to stalk someone or something.’

Remus pulled an awkward face. ‘Well, she doesn’t interact much with other people and . . . I’ve been talking to her about it all of last year, and she didn’t really do anything. And even though this morning she said she would give it a try, I’m just worried she might find it difficult to follow through with.’

Marlene frowned at him. ‘You faithless git! We’re _girls_. We can do just about anything. But yeah, in regards to helping you, we will.’

Lily nodded enthusiastically. ‘She does needs some more people in her life. No offence Remus, but in some situations you would be completely useless.’

He shrugged offhandedly. ‘No offence taken. It’s true, anyway.’

Marlene grinned. ‘It’s fine, trust me. I need some new clothes to steal – ahem, I mean _borrow_ ,’ she said, hastily correcting herself as Lily glared. ‘Lil’s wardrobe selection is a bit dull. Kayla has some pretty nifty shorts. In all colours of the rainbow, too.’

‘Marley!’ Lily scolded. The former shrugged. ‘It’s true. The best you ever have is jeans, sandals and a sparkly singlet top. I need _fluro_ , girl!’

Lily rolled her eyes. ‘I wasn’t talking about that. Anyway,’ she said, turning back to Remus, ‘don’t you worry. We’ll talk to her.’

‘Just don’t say I set you to it. Please?’ Remus pleaded. Lily nodded. ‘ _Relax_.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Hey!’ Lily greeted brightly as she bounded up next to Kayla. The other girl jumped in surprise and looked around to face her, looking slightly confused. ‘Erm, hi.’

Lily spared a quick glance over her shoulder towards the end of the crowded corridor, where Marley was waiting and tapping her foot impatiently. Lily had told her to wait there until further notice (sometimes she could be a bit full on) and that she would talk to Kayla first. Quite frankly, Marley hadn’t been too taken with idea.

‘How’s your day been?’

Kayla blinked owlishly. ‘Well, it’s been alright, I guess. How was . . . how was yours?’

‘Well, I’m yet to see, but I’ve had a great time so far. Glad to be back?’

Kayla gave a mute nod, before clearing her throat and replying. ‘Yeah. You don’t get libraries this big everywhere.’

Lily gave a small laugh and nodded, glad to have something they both liked to talk about.

For the next five minutes they chattered, slowly ambling down to the dungeons for Potions. Every once in a while, Lily would check around to see if Marley was still in the area. Finally, when they were almost there, she motioned behind her back that she could join them now.

‘Boo!’

It was an understatement to say she was quick on the uptake. Kayla jumped again as Marley vaulted onto Lily’s back, tightly circling her arms around her neck. With a slight grunt, Lily laughed and caught her legs, keeping her up.

‘ _There_ you are,’ she said in mock surprise. ‘Nice of you to join us.’

‘I know,’ Marley said mildly, resting her chin atop Lily’s head. ‘I’m the sort of company everyone would miss _dreadfully_.’

Lily rolled her eyes. ‘She’s nuts, isn’t she?’ she said to Kayla, who was looking at Marley with raised eyebrows. She gave a small smile and a nod.

‘Hey!’ came Marley’s remark of indignation.

That was the trigger. All three of them burst into laughter.

* * *

 

**You know, even for a Potions lecture, this is perfectly rotten – Marley**

Oh, shush. Wiggenweld potions aren’t _so_ bad. What do you think, Kayla? – Lily

_Well, I sort of agree with Marlene. It’s a bit dull – Kayla_

**HA! See! I finally have someone to back me up. Point one for Marley!**

Don’t go getting a big head, now.

**Psh. _You’re_ one to talk, Miss I Can Do Potions With My Bloody Eyes Closed. **

_Well, at least this potion is doable. It’s not like we’re attempting something ridiculously complicated like . . . I don’t know. Polyjuice, maybe?_

**You know, I’m surprised you’re actually joining in on our note passing. Would’ve thought you would think we’re too mad for you and walked off. Or, well . . . whatever sort of non-interaction you can do in the middle of class, anyway.**

_Marlene . . ._

**Nah, don’t call me that. Only the Demon Twins call me that. And my mum when she’s brassed off. Call me Marley. Then I know you’re not going to try and smother me with makeup.**

Makeup? I’m not even going to _try_ and question that.

**Good decision, Lil.**

I have to say though, what would you do if I cracked out the eyeshadow?

**I would hex you and tie you up with your own four-poster curtains until you rot and die. I won’t even attend your funeral. Azkaban would be _so_ worth it. **

Wow, Marls. Just wow.

 _Merlin. You two really_ are _mad, aren’t you?_

**Hey, she’s an observant one!**

* * *

 

** Kayla **

It had been an . . . interesting day. The whole business with Lily and Marlene – no, Marley – had been odd enough in itself. She wasn’t sure if she could call them friends yet, but she definitely felt more comfortable around them. _That_ was saying something. They were both perfectly insane.

Well, maybe insanity could be compatible. Kayla was mad too . . . in her own way.

 _Well_ , she thought a small smile quirking at the corners of her lips. _Maybe this will work out._

Yeah. Maybe.

Standing before the boys’ staircase, she contemplated going up, then paused to wonder if something would go terribly wrong.

She shrugged. She’d never know if she didn’t try.

Her foot hovered above the first step, then carefully, she set it down and screwed up her face, waiting for some horribly loud and embarrassing response. Nothing happened.

Still feeling incredibly suspicious, she rose up onto the next. And the next. And the one after that. She still hadn’t dropped down an invisible trapdoor or anything.

Soon enough, she got to the second year boys’ dormitory. Now wondering if something horrible would happen at the last minute, she pushed the door open.

Oh. Oh _god_.

Nope. This was bad enough in itself. No embarrassing trap needed.

_Merlin._

The dormitory was horrific. Absolutely _horrific_. Dirty laundry was strewn all over the floor, and a layer of crinkled chocolate wrappers topped that. A shoe was hanging all the way up on a bedpost, and the walls were packed with posters, which were mainly bands and motorbikes.

She wrinkled her nose in revulsion. They _lived_ in this environment? In the girls’ dormitory, the worst you had to worry about was waking up and immediately having a shoe smack you in the face as its owner tore through their trunk trying to find a shirt that matched what they were wearing.

In the middle of all this chaos was Remus, who was trying to tug on a shirt that had gotten caught around his shoulders. Without meaning to, Kayla gasped.

Scars. Scars as clear as day decorated his bare and scrawny chest, and also covered a noticeable amount of his stomach. They shone bright white against his lightly tanned skin, and worse, there were fresh ones. Along with a partially healed cut that curved all around his left side, there were pink ones that ran diagonally on the opposite hip.

God, and Kayla thought the ones on his _arms_ were bad.

 Hearing her sharp intake of breath, Remus whirled about, the shirt tumbling off his head and his arm falling loosely to his side. His eyes widened with horror when he saw Kayla.

‘It’s nothing,’ he said hurriedly. ‘Like I said, barbed wire.’

‘ _Nothing?_ ’ Kayla snapped, striding forward, coming to a stop in front of him. ‘Remus John Lupin, if those are _nothing_ , then I’m the queen of England!’

‘No, I swear,’ he said feebly, pulling the shirt on properly. ‘Look, please don’t -’

‘Here’s the deal. I don’t ask about the scars, and you don’t ask about my fantastically brilliant achievements of today. Fair?’

Remus thought about it, the obvious desire to know shining out of every angle of his face. He seemed to be at war with himself for a good thirty seconds.

‘Can you just tell me?’ he finally asked. Kayla shook her head stubbornly.

He disappeared into his thoughts again, and she came up with a new resolution. ‘Fine, I’ll tell you, but I’m going to find out what happened anyway. Okay? _Even_ if it means writing to your mother.’

‘You _wouldn’t_ ,’ he cried, aghast.

‘Oh, yes I would.’

He slumped his shoulders, defeat registering on his face. ‘I give up,’ he muttered. ‘But Mum will tell you the same thing. I _did_ have a run-in with wire.’

Kayla narrowed her eyes. The story was way too well rehearsed. She knew it wasn’t true, but she wasn’t going to let him know that.

‘Alright, then. Sit. This story is absolutely fabulous.’

For the first time since her unexpected arrival, Remus smiled slightly.

* * *

 

** James **

‘Oh, _Evans_.’

Evans looked up from her book and frowned at him. ‘You’re actually in the library, Potter? At six in the evening, too?’

‘Why, yes,’ he said formally, adjusting his glasses on his nose and sitting down next to her. She wrinkled her nose and leaned away. ‘Sometimes, my dear bird, I enjoy the library as much as you do.’

‘The day I see you reading a ridiculously huge book, is the day I would do something really stupid.’

‘Oh?’ James felt an eyebrow travel up his forehead, and he grinned. ‘Are we setting a bet here, Evans?’

‘Not really,’ she said, turning back to her book.

‘I think you are.’

She looked back at him. ‘What _is_ this bet, then?’

‘That I read a “ridiculously huge book” and that you do something “really stupid”.’

‘What would come under the heading of really stupid for you then, hm?’

‘I know! I read this “ridiculously huge book”, then you have to kiss me.’

Her eyes widened, and she jumped up. ‘Ew! James Potter, you are _twelve_!’

‘So are you.’

She shook her head vigorously. ‘No. No, no, no, no, no, no, nope. Not a chance. Never going to happen.’

‘Alright then,’ he said with a grin. ‘I’ll alter it slightly.’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘No kissing.’

‘Oh no, I’m not going to cut that. It would be fantastically humiliating for you. I have two years to find the biggest book possible in this library and read it. And, yes, I will read it in your ever-grumpy presence just to prove it. Then, if I’ve managed to read it all by the first day back in fourth-year, you have to kiss me. Deal?’

‘That’s never going to happen,’ Evans said flatly. ‘Not a chance.’

‘You shouldn’t have made that comment, then.’

She groaned and buried her face in her hands, her red hair shielding both body parts like a curtain. ‘I hate you. So bloody much.’

James grinned again. Once it had reached this point, his mission was complete. ‘But like you believe, Evans, I might not finish this book. But like I believe, I will.’ He laughed, and Madam Pince hissed from the other end of the colossal room. Evans looked up again. ‘You’re never going to finish that book. You know why? Because I’m going to help you choose it.’

James’ stomach dropped into his toes, and his grin faltered slightly. Uh oh.

Delighted to have found a light in this situation, she started to grin evilly. ‘Oh, yes,’ she continued. ‘And I know just the book. Come on.’

Getting up and grabbing James by the wrist, she tugged him through the maze of shelves. Sections flew past at an alarming rate until they came to an abrupt stop in among the fiction shelves.

‘You’re _not_ going to get me to read a textbook?’ James asked, feeling surprised.

She shook her head. ‘No, no. Of course not. You need to read an actual book.’ She then started searching along the shelves. James hovered behind her anxiously. Finally, she gave a small ‘ha!’ as she found whatever book she was looking for. She grabbed a chair and pulled it over, standing on top of it. She reached out, and James saw which book she was looking at. Oh _no_.

Grabbing it delicately by the spine and shimmying it out, Evans winced slightly under the weight of the text. She slowly climbed down from her chair, and stood beside James.

‘I measured the size of this the other day,’ she said with a satisfied grin. ‘Five and a half inches thick –’ She flipped the book open and showed him the inside. ‘- Small font -’ She lifted a page delicately between her fingers. ‘Thin pages, and the best bit -’ She closed it and turned to the description on the back. ‘It’s a sappy _romance_.’

James choked. Genuinely choked. ‘ _Romance?_ ’

‘Ever heard of “Romeo and Juliet”?’ she teased. When he shook his head, she continued. ‘Well, it’s like that in the tragic respect. If you don’t cry when reading this, there’s something wrong with you.’

With a satisfied grin, she passed the book off to him. James stumbled over the weight. Heck, this was heavy. Just before leaving, she leaned over to whisper something in his ear. ‘By the way, this took _me_ half a year to read. I read a huge amount each day, too.’

Laughing lightly to herself, she disappeared around the corner.

James swallowed lightly. _Well._

He flipped the book over to read the cover.

_Love or Magic._

Damn it.


	19. Year 2 - Tryouts

**_ 19 – Tryouts _ **

** James **

‘James! James, you stupid prat, _get up!_ ’

James rolled over, not bothering to open his eyes. ‘Bugger off, Marley.’

There was an audible sigh. ‘We. Have. _Tryouts_.’

His eyes popped open and he shot up. ‘Say _what?_ ’

‘Tryouts!’ Marley hissed, her eyes wild. ‘In T-minus four hours!’

James tumbled out of bed. ‘Get Sirius up, woman! Come on, we’ve gotta go! What time is it?’

‘Six, and um, Jamesey? I’ve got something to tell you.’

James paused, with a white shirt half pulled over his head. He didn’t like that tone at all. ‘What?’ he asked slowly.

‘Well, Sirius, he . . .’ she started, twiddling her thumbs anxiously. ‘He’s not trying out this year.’

‘What?’

She pulled a face. ‘You know how there’s only two spots on the team?’

James’ heart sank. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah. He wanted to give us a fair chance of getting on. He told me he’d have a go next year, when Marcus Bell leaves. Said he’s always liked Beater more than Chaser, anyway.’

‘What about Keeper?’

She arched a dark eyebrow. ‘You know I’ve got that in the bag.’

‘True. Now get out so I can change.’

* * *

 

A cool mist rose up from the grass as they trudged along it, broomsticks in hand.

‘Do you seriously think we’ve got a chance?’ Marley asked anxiously.

James waved her off with a small laugh. ‘Of course. We’ve been flying since before we could walk. If we don’t get on, whoever makes the decision is obviously mad. We’re only practicing so we won’t be too shabby for the actual tryouts.’

Marley nodded like she understood, however she still looked worried. All of the confidence she had been wearing ten minutes ago had faded.

‘Come on, Marls,’ James encouraged. ‘We’ll be fine.’

‘Yeah. I suppose.’

In the time leading up to ten o’clock, the stands steadily filled up with a small number of spectators, some of whom were carrying breakfast they had brought down from the hall with them. James and Marley had abandoned the idea of additional practise with so many people watching, and instead sat on the side of the field, picking blades of grass and making a small pile.

‘There you are!’

They both looked up to see Sirius leaning over the edge of the stands, grinning at them. He put the piece of toast he was holding between his teeth and vaulted over the barrier, landing on the ground next to them.

‘Pumped?’ he asked.

When he was answered with mute nods, he gave an audible sigh and rolled his eyes.

‘Somebody’s done something to these two!’ he announced. ‘They’ve stopped being cocky little brats!’

Marley punched him in the leg. ‘Sirius!’

He grinned down at her. ‘What about it, Marls?’

She huffed. ‘This. Is. Serious.’

‘No, I’m Sirius.’

She gave him a flat stare. ‘That’s not even funny.’

‘Ah, no,’ Sirius said, spreading his arms wide. ‘It never gets old.’

James scanned across the field, his eyes stopping on the group of people gathering in the middle. He grabbed Marley by the wrist. ‘We’ve got to go.’

‘Good bye, love!’ Sirius hollered in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. When Marley raised her eyebrows, he added: ‘I was talking to _James_.’

‘You’re a bloody married couple,’ Marley muttered. James grinned, blowing a kiss at Sirius as he did so. ‘I know.’

With a sigh, Marley looped her arm through his so they were linked by the elbows, and tugged him over to the small group of people. In the centre of this mass of people was the captain, Marcus Bell, who was in seventh year. His dark, curly hair was dishevelled as he tried to keep order, but no matter how much he yelled, everyone else talked louder. Finally he just shook his head exasperatedly and looked at his girlfriend, Claudia Green, who was standing next to him. She put both of her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and screamed: ‘ _SHUT UP!_ ’

It was comical how instantly everyone whipped around, wide eyed. Marcus looked at Claudia gratefully before turning to the masses. Usually he was intimidating enough, and was able to take control rather easily. Tryouts however, were apparently a completely different story.

‘About bloody time,’ he said irritably. ‘Now, getting to business, I want to see if any of you can actually _fly_. Get into groups – small ones are preferable – and do a lap around the pitch. If you’re unsatisfactory in this, you can take your broom and leave.’

James and Marley exchanged looks and shrugged, before moving over to the nearest group. It was composed of three other people: a tall, dark fifth-year, a slight, mousey-haired third year girl, and a fourth-year James was pretty sure was actually in Hufflepuff.

‘Alright!’ Marcus shouted. ‘Group one, meaning –,’ he stopped and pointed at a group, ‘ _those_ guys. Go!’

James could tell these whole tryouts were going to be chaos. Simply in the first group, one tripped over their own broom, two crashed into the goalposts at the other end of the field, one spiralled and started flying in the wrong direction, and the last did a nosedive straight into the ground when they came back. The leverage the broom was given when it was driven in threw its rider a good five metres away. Marcus dismissed them all without batting an eyelash.

The next group did slightly better, with one making it back without any major injury. James and Marley were in the third group, and he wasn’t lying when he said that they were easily the best. The fifth year got sidetracked halfway through when his girlfriend turned up and smashed into the goalpost when waving to her, the third year started wailing loudly that miraculously she had “forgotten how to fly” and that it was “positively _dreadful_ ” (she sounded like Evans), and the Hufflepuff also did well until Marcus realised that he was in the wrong house and bellowed at him to leave. He gave James and Marley grudging smiles of approval when they did a flawless loop around the pitch and made it back in good time.

When all of the groups had been narrowed down to the best (there was a total of five left out of about approximately _thirty_ ), they were split into two more groups according for the position they were going for. James and Marley went separate ways here, James with two other potential Chasers, and Marley with the other Keeper.

Chaser drills were first. James and the rest of his group flew up into the air, and had to pass the Quaffle from one end of the pitch to the other without dropping it. The three of them hovered around one end of the pitch until Marcus pulled the ball out of its box, then with a huge thrust, sent it up into the air.

Instantly James zoomed in and caught it, speeding towards the other end of the pitch. Marcus had pulled some of the Gryffindor team members out into the tryouts, and they were acting as the other team, trying to intercept the other three.

As Frank Longbottom made a beeline for him, James turned and tossed the Quaffle to one of the other Chasers, and they fumbled with the ball before dropping it.

James grumbled in irritation as Christina Johnson, a fourth year and one of the best Chasers James knew, darted underneath and caught it. Without stopping to think, he made shot straight at her. Right when he was almost there, she tossed the Quaffle to Frank. As it soared through the air, James shot upwards and grabbed it.

Feeling a touch pleased with himself, he shot towards the end of the pitch and lobbed the ball through the top goalpost.

‘YES!’ he yelled, pumping his fist in the air. ‘YES!’

Down on the ground, the speck he knew was Marley was jumping around and cheering.

He shot down to the ground at high speed, before pulling up at the last second right beside her.

‘Show off,’ Marley said, but she was grinning.

‘I think it’s pretty obvious who our new Chaser is!’ Marcus announced, _actually_ looking proudly at James. The rest of the Gryffindor team swarmed him with their praises and welcomes.

‘You’re bloody good for a second-year,’ Frank said, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back.

‘I take pride in it,’ James replied, grinning.

‘Too much pride,’ Marley muttered.

‘Alright, no time to lose, Keepers, get over here!’ Marcus called. Marley jumped in surprise before whirling around and scuttling over to his side. The other Keeper also did so. She was a tall and muscly fifth-year with sandy hair and a hard face. She smirked as she surveyed Marley, who was tiny compared to her.

‘Diana Price,’ she said, shaking Marcus’ hand. From the popping sounds James could hear, it sounded like she was trying her hardest to break his hand. Marcus let go extremely quickly, before turning his attention to Marley.

‘Marlene McKinnon,’ she said confidently in answer to his questioning gaze.

He gave a short nod and turned so they were both in his line of sight. ‘First I’m going to get you to fly up to either goalpost, and the Chasers will try and shoot, five times each. That gives you fifteen chances to get it right. If you’re still even after that, I’ll put you through more drills later.’

Marley nodded and swung a leg over her broom, looking to fly to the nearest set of goalposts. Just when she was getting into the air, however, Diana grabbed her roughly and spun around mid-air, before getting up on her own broom and flying to the posts. Marley flushed red before sticking her nose in the air and going to the opposite posts.

‘Alright you lot, off the pitch,’ Marcus said. James grabbed his broom and jogged over to the stands, pulling himself up over the side and onto the first row of seats. Sirius ran down to him.

‘Did you get on?’ he asked. ‘I got sidetracked; I didn’t see. Or hear for that matter.’

James shook his head sadly. He could have some fun with this. ‘It sucks,’ he muttered.

Sirius went pale. ‘They didn’t – he _didn’t_! Mate, I -’

‘Because you weren’t there to see it!’ James shouted, grinning and punching him in the shoulder.

Sirius blinked. ‘What?’

‘I _did_ get on, you ninny! And you doubted me! My best friend! Also my supposed partner in marriage, my gay lover -!’

‘Okay, I get it!’ Sirius was going red from laughing so hard. ‘Don’t do that to me, you sod! I was actually worried!’

‘Also as -’

‘Marley!’ Sirius cut in, now looking immensely guilty. ‘Damn it, I forgot. Where is she?’

James pointed lazily over to her goalposts. ‘Over there – wait. What? Where’d she go?’

His eyes searched the field, before coming to a rest on the sand below Marley’s posts.

Oh _no_.

Her crumpled form was on the ground, her hair spread out all around her.

‘Come on,’ James muttered. They both vaulted over the side of the stands and ran over to her.

The worst scenarios started coming to his mind. Loads of broken bones, a concussion . . . what if the fall killed her?’

He skidded to a stop in the sand beside her, and only then did he realise that he had been wrong.

‘I’ve got it!’ Marley shouted, sticking her head up and looking at Marcus. There was something she was holding tightly to her chest.

‘You were wrestling a bludger?’ James asked dryly.

She gave him a look. ‘Maybe if you had paid attention, you would have known all along.’

James stuck his hands up in surrender. ‘I’m _sorry_.’

‘Good.’

‘Wait, you’re not dead?’ Sirius asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. ‘You got my hopes up for a second there.’

Marley poked her tongue out at him and passed the bludger off to Marcus, who then proceeded to force the ball into its box.

‘Get back up there. I’d like to finish some time before lunch,’ he called through grunts as the ball strained to get away. Marley nodded and jumped back onto her broom, soaring up to the goalposts again.

Marcus stood up straight, the bludger now back where it belonged. He picked up the Quaffle and tossed it to him. ‘Get up there, and if she’s as good as you are, don’t go easy on her.’

James gave a salute. ‘Yessir.’

‘Don’t say that.’

‘Yessir!’

He gave an audible sigh. ‘Just go. And _without comment_.’

‘Yes- no sir!’

‘I give up.’

James grinned and climbed onto his broom, the Quaffle held tightly under one arm. When he was level with Marley, he called: ‘I’ve been given orders to give you difficult saves.’

Marley tossed him a grin and pushed her sleeves up in mock preparation. ‘Bring it on, buddy.’

‘Oh, I will.’

Without warning, he dove sideways and threw the ball at the left hoop. Marley effortlessly caught it, expecting the surprise.

‘Is that all you’ve got?’ she asked sweetly.

‘No,’ James shot back. ‘In fact, I’m just getting started.’

Marley tossed the Quaffle back at him, and he caught it, calculating his next move. He grinned as it came to him, and feinted left before shooting right. Marley swooped in and grabbed it.

‘You’re so predictable,’ she teased.

‘No I’m not!’

‘Then try and beat me!’

James shot below her. _Not_ expecting this, Marley rolled over to catch it a second too late. It soared through the hoop.

‘Bugger.’

‘You shouldn’t have said that, then,’ James replied, grinning.

‘Yeah, but what if the brute chick over there does better! All because you did something I couldn’t catch!’

‘I’ll go harder on her,’ James promised. ‘You’re the one getting on this team. Not her.’

‘I’d better be.’

‘Trust me,’ James said, tossing the Quaffle again. Marley rolled back over and caught it this time.

‘One more shot,’ she said. ‘Then the others have to shoot.’

James did a three-sixty and belted the ball at the left hoop. She reached out and grabbed it by the tips of her fingers, and winced when there was a nasty crunching sound.

‘Shoot, Marls,’ James muttered, flying over to her. She brushed him off when he reached out to inspect the damage.

‘I’ll be fine,’ she insisted. James reached out and grabbed his wrist regardless. Her fingers were smashed and bloody, bending in directions they really shouldn’t.

‘That’s not fine,’ he said bluntly.

‘Yes. It. Is,’ she hissed. ‘I’ll be fine. No way I’m calling off tryouts. Now go away!’

James put up his hands in surrender. ‘Fine. Fine. But make sure you get that checked later.’

* * *

 

'Here's the problem,' Marcus said, looking at both of the girls. 'You're both sitting on fourteen saves. That means I have to think of something else to decide my Keeper. That means we're all going to lunch late.'

There was an outbreak of groaning from the team, and Marcus gestured for them to be quiet.

'You two,' he said, pointing at Marley and Denise, 'get in the air. We're going to peg a bucketload of these Muggle "basketballs" at you, and whoever catches the most gets the spot. Clear?'

'Crystal,' Marley muttered.

'Up, ladies. In the air. Now.'

Marley swung her leg back over her broom and kicked off into the air. Once she was a reasonable height above the ground, she rubbed her hands together. 'Give me your best shot!'

James picked up a ball and tossed it at her. She sped after it, but Denise knocked her out of the way and caught it for herself. She smirked as Marley glared.

'Incoming!' James yelled as he lobbed another one. This one Marley caught.

After that, the barrage of balls really began. The whole time the girls were dropping and catching, dropping and catching. The pattern never changed. Though, what James noticed was that Marley was considerably faster on her broom. She had the better chance of getting on.

After two minutes, Marcus stopped timing and called them back down to the ground. He then started counting through the piles that the girls had dropped below them (both reasonable distances apart so the balls wouldn't be confused) and tallied the results.

The wait was sickening. Marley was pale and not confident in the slightest.

Then Marcus turned around.

'Denise,' he started. Marley looked as though she was going to throw up, and James' stomach dropped.

No.

Marley was supposed to get on. Not this fifteen year-old brute of a girl. She had been working so bloody hard, and she had been counting down to this day since June. No way that it was all going to get crushed now. No way in hell.

'Take your broom and leave,' Marcus said. 'I don't want someone on my team who gets bested by a second year.'


	20. Year 2 - The First Time Lily Cut Class

**_ 20 – The First Time Lily Cut Class _ **

** Lily **

‘Feel like coming down and suffering through Quidditch tryouts with me?’ Lily asked, sitting down at the Gryffindor table beside Remus and Kayla. ‘I kind of promised Marley I would come, and well, she would kill me if I didn’t. Besides, I think the rest of your Marauder clan is already down there. What do you think?’

Remus shrugged offhandedly. ‘Yeah. I suppose.’ He then turned to Kayla. ‘Do you even know what Quidditch _is?_ ’

She looked offended. ‘ _Yes!_ What sort of a question is that?’

‘An honest one.’

She elbowed him. ‘You’re a prat. And, yeah,’ she said, looking at Lily, ‘we’re coming. Remus has no choice in this. I want to mock the people who can’t fly.’

‘I don’t see how that works . . .’ Remus started.

‘Then that makes two of us,’ Lily said, beaming at Kayla. ‘I don’t care if I can’t play it – haven’t even tried – but seeing other people who have such a high ego in regards to their successes _fail_ is funny.’

The operation of befriending Kayla was still underway, but Lily didn’t mind. She actually _wanted_ to do this. Well and truly. Having Kayla as a friend was something that had been sitting on her mind since first year. Anyway, three mad people was more fun than two. Marley would most likely agree. In her opinion, madness was something that needed to be shared among a multitude of people.

Kayla was still a little shy around them, but she was opening up, which was what Lily considered progress. Anyway, she would adjust in her own time. Lily didn’t want to push it.

‘Shall we go, then?’

‘I s’pose,’ Remus said, getting to his feet and pulling Kayla up with him. ‘I want to see what those idiots are up to.’

‘Keep in mind they’re _your_ idiots,’ Lily said lightly.

Remus sighed. ‘I know.’

* * *

 

Looking back on it, Lily started to think that _maybe_ they could have chosen a better time to turn up.

‘ . . . can you bloody doubt me? My best friend, my supposed partner in _marriage_ , my gay lover - !’

Lily stifled the laughter that threatened to break through with her hand. Oh wow. Did Potter just _say_ that? Beside her, Remus’ eye was twitching as he shook his head in amusement. Kayla just went red and looked confused.

They missed the rest of the conversation as the voices of Potter and Sirius faded out, and they took the stairs up to the stands. When they got up there, Sirius was swinging himself over the barrier, looking disgruntled.

‘Sirius!’ Remus called, skidding down benches to get to him. Sirius pulled a face. ‘Marley’s a right prat, you know that?’

‘What did she do now?’ Remus asked tiredly.

‘I thought she was dead! She genuinely had me worried for a second there!’

Remus rolled his eyes. ‘Well, she’s fine now, isn’t she?’

‘Yeah . . .’

‘Right. Now that’s over, don’t we have tryouts to watch?’

‘I think Remus is _actually_ enjoying this the most out of all of us,’ Lily whispered to Kayla. She just nodded, looking slightly amused.

‘Now we just have to suffer through it,’ she muttered back.

Lily agreed.

* * *

 

** Remus **

The tryouts were finally over, and Kayla had wandered off, chatting amiably with Lily. That was progress. So Remus made his way up to the library, stopping to collect his Potions essay from Gryffindor Tower. When he had slid himself into his favourite chair, he set it down and his quill hovered above the parchment.

He didn’t know what to write. He couldn’t think.

Damn it, why was it so difficult for him to leave her alone?

He kept telling himself: _It’s not safe. You need to go. Leave her with the girls._ But he just couldn’t. It was something about her adorable innocence that made him want to stay; to protect her.

But, he realised, she wouldn’t need protecting because he was the danger. If he stayed away, she would be completely safe.

She wouldn’t like him distancing himself though, because she didn’t know. Not that she could. If Remus told her she would be horrified. She would know how much of a monster he really was.

And he knew that would hurt most of all.

* * *

 

** Lily **

On Monday morning, two weeks later, Lily stepped out of the bathroom with one towel around her torso and another bundling up her dripping hair. She was late enough as it was, but she had overslept. Maybe she was making too much of a fuss over these assignments late at night.

She walked past Claire, who was sitting on her bed with her hair twisted up in rags. Imogen was sitting beside her, also wrapping her hair up in strips of material. Completely ignoring them, Lily crossed the room to her trunk and flipped it open, rummaging through it for her uniform.

She pulled out a pair of shorts to wear underneath her skirt, then a tie. Then she sat back on her haunches. Where was her shirt? And her skirt? And, for that matter, her robes?

She stood up and looked on her bed, searching underneath the blankets. She wriggled her way all the way down to the bottom, but only found a stray sock.

Did the house elves take _all_ of her laundry?

No, that couldn’t be right. She could have sworn she had a clean set in her trunk. She remembered folding and putting it away last night. So where was it?

Her eyes travelled across the room to Claire and Imogen, who were sitting and looking innocently at her.

‘Is something wrong, Lily?’ Claire asked, her voice perfectly angelic.

‘Missing something?’ Imogen added. They both looked really stupid with knobbly bumps of material all over their heads.

‘Yes,’ Lily muttered. ‘Have you seen my uniform?’

They said nothing. Lily’s eyes wandered to the rags in their hair. Claire’s were black, and Imogen’s were a mix of white and dark grey.

Then it clicked.

‘You didn’t!’ Lily cried.

‘Didn’t what?’

‘You – you cut up my uniform! _For hair rags!_ ’

‘Don’t be so selfish, Lily,’ Claire snapped. ‘Maybe you should think about others, instead of it all being about you. So what if you don’t have a uniform? Just go in that!’

She pointed to the towel that Lily still wore tightly wrapped around herself.

Then they both got up, tapped their heads with their wands, and the rags tumbled out leaving heavy ringlets in their place. They smirked at her, then walked out. ‘See you in Transfiguration, Lily! I’m sure McGonagall will be waiting for you!’

The door slammed shut. Lily whirled around and darted to Marley’s trunk, flipping it open. Sure, she was slightly taller than her, but her uniform would have to do.

She riffled through the mess, tossing out shirts and shoes, but came away with nothing. She didn’t even leave a dirty set on the floor.

Then, getting extremely desperate now, Lily ran over to Kayla’s trunk, being slightly neater in regards to the mess she made. Everything was neatly sorted, but there were no uniforms left.

There was no point in looking through the Demon Twins’; they would have made sure she wouldn’t find anything.

For the first time in her life, Lily swore. Colourfully. And, quite frankly, she only knew the word because Potter and Sirius were fond of using it after they picked it up from a sixth year.

She sat limply down on her bed. What was she going to do now? She had nothing to wear. Those girls had cut up her shirt, skirt and robes.

She had to miss out on class. She had no choice. She would most likely get a detention, but that couldn’t be helped. She was stuck.

She sniffed, her eyes going blurry. No way. This just wasn’t fair.

She threw herself onto Marley’s bed, ignoring the towel when it tumbled off her head, and buried her face in the covers.

* * *

 

She didn’t know how long she lay there and sulked, but several hours later by her guess, there was the sound of someone thundering up the spiral staircase and throwing open the door.

‘ _Shoot,_ Lil,’ Marley muttered. ‘What happened?’

Lily made an inaudible response, and by the sound of it, Marley was starting to laugh.

‘Oi, Kayla, get up here would you? There’s a Lily sulking on my bed!’

There was a slightly muted response and footsteps seemed to be coming up the staircase again. ‘If I’m going to be subjected to _sulking_ for the next six years, Marley, I can guarantee that I’ll be no help whatsoever.’ Kayla’s voice rang up the tower, and of all things it sounded slightly irritable. Her footsteps stopped in the dormitory, and she muttered, ‘okay Lily, who hexed you?’

‘No one hexed me.’

‘What happened, then?’ The bed groaned slightly as Marley sat down beside her and pulled Lily’s head into her lap with one bandaged hand, forcing her to look up. Her brown eyes were serious as they scanned Lily up and down. ‘Why are you wearing a towel?’

‘Demons cut up my clothes.’

‘ _What?’_

Lily sat up, making sure the towel was still securely wrapped around herself. ‘Claire and Imogen cut up my only clean uniform and used it for hair rags.’

‘They _didn’t_ ,’ Kayla muttered, horrified.

Marley stood up. ‘Right, I am going to hunt down those bi -’

‘ _Marley!_ ’

‘Female dogs,’ Marley continued, undeterred, ‘and I will smash their heads in good and proper. Then I’ll chop up _their_ uniforms!’

‘I really don’t think there’s any need for –’ Lily started.

‘Yes, there is,’ Kayla cut in. ‘Look, I can’t say I know you guys all that well, and, heck, I’m not sure if we’re even friends, but no one has the right to do that. No one.’

Lily and Marley blinked, stunned. Kayla took a steady breath.

‘What the hell makes you think we’re not friends?’ Marley asked flatly.

She shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Well, for the record,’ Lily said, sitting up, ‘we are. Just so we’re clear on that. Okay?’

It was Kayla’s turn to blink. ‘Okay. But anyway, maybe we should order you some new ones in. I’m sure Madam Malkin does deliveries.’

Lily sighed. ‘You know what? That’s a great idea, and I’m absolutely through with this. We’ll go to the Owlery in a second. Just let me change.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Miss Evans.’

The three of them paused as they walked away from the Owlery, and Lily looked sick. Slowly, they all turned around to face Professor McGonagall, who was regarding them with a cool stare. ‘Why weren’t you in class today?’

‘Please, Professor,’ Lily pleaded. ‘It wasn’t my fault. Cl – someone cut up my uniform. The rest were in the wash and I couldn’t get them. I didn’t have anything else to wear. I’m really sorry.’

McGonagall regarded her for a second. ‘Who did this?’

‘I don’t know, Professor,’ Lily said, her eyes looking slightly anxious from the lie she was telling. Why wasn’t she telling her about Claire and Imogen? She had every right to.

‘Make sure it doesn’t happen again, Miss Evans. Unfortunately, skipping class - despite the circumstances – is unacceptable. You have a detention. Professor Slughorn needs some help in cleaning out his Potions stores.’ She gave Kayla and Marley a curt nod and turned, walking back down the corridor. Lily looked horrified.

‘She gave me a detention?’ she whispered hoarsely. ‘Why?’

‘Lil, I think she knew you were lying,’ Marley said. ‘Why didn’t you sell those brats out?’

‘Because it wasn’t worth it,’ Lily shot back. ‘They’re not worth it.’

That shut Marley up.

* * *

 

Right. It was time to deal with this mess.

‘Remus.’

Remus looked up from his book, and jumped off the armchair he was sitting on in front of the fireplace. ‘Kayla! Look, um, I’m really busy at the moment. I’ll talk to you later, okay?’

Without waiting for response, he disappeared up the boys’ staircase. Kayla groaned.

He had been doing this for the last _two freaking weeks_. What was up with that? And it didn’t change that he was still going missing. Kayla knew that whatever was happening last year was still going on. And it _wasn’t right_.

It was time to do some digging.

* * *

 

‘James. Sirius.’

The two boys looked up from the frog they were prodding with their wands. Well, if it could be called a frog. It was bright purple and had swollen to the size of a basketball. Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘I need to talk to you about something.’

‘Did that cat come with you?’ Sirius asked suspiciously, looking at the empty courtyard behind her. His question was answered when Chance dropped down from the tree above him and landed on his head, bounding off and landing in his lap. He groaned audibly. James gave the frog one final prod and laughed when it sprouted spikes on its back, before looking at Kayla. ‘What’s up?’

‘You’ll agree with me when I say that Remus has always acted a bit weird, yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ he replied, getting to his feet. ‘What’s the prat been doing now?’

‘Avoiding me. I want to work out what’s with his I-need-to-disappear-once-a-month issue.’

‘It’s a bit odd, isn’t it?’ Sirius said. ‘I mean, I’ve had some fabulous guesses -’

‘Sirius has this stupid theory that Remus is a werewolf,’ James said flatly. ‘Ridiculous, eh?’

Kayla’s stomach dropped. ‘What?’ she asked hoarsely.

The grin was wiped off James’ face. ‘You don’t believe it, do you?’

Kayla stepped back. ‘Come on. Get Peter if you want, but meet me in the Astronomy section of the library in five.’

* * *

‘You’re mad. He’s not a werewolf. He can’t be. Sirius was just being stupid with his knowledge of magical stuff,’ James tried weakly.

Kayla spread a handful of star-charts out on the desk. ‘We’ll never know unless we check,’ she said flatly. Peter picked one of them up. ‘Well, I know he wasn’t here then,’ he said, pointing to the calendar. A full moon was drawn above the date. ‘Remember that giant Potions exam we had last year?’

‘I _do_ , actually,’ James muttered, leaning in for a closer look. ‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.’

‘But look here,’ Kayla said, pointing to another date. ‘And here. And here. There’s a pattern. He wasn’t here on those days, and they’re _all full moons._ ’

‘You’re kidding me,’ Sirius whispered. ‘Bloody _kidding_ me.’

‘It makes sense,’ Kayla breathed. ‘I’ve seen Madam Pomfrey taking him down to the Whomping Willow before. It was on a full moon, too. Maybe there’s something connected to it? A passage underneath, perhaps?’

‘That’s crazy, but it’s possible,’ Peter said. ‘Very possible.’

‘And the scars. Everyone’s seen those smaller ones on his arms, but the ones on his stomach and back are _huge_.’

‘And how have you seen those?’ James inquired with a raised eyebrow and a slight grin. Kayla flushed but continued, undeterred. ‘I may have walked in on him when he was . . . shirtless,’ she muttered, her face going redder by the second. Sirius gave a barking laugh.

‘That’s priceless!’

‘Shh!’

‘Priceless!’ he repeated in a harsh whisper, his eyes shining with tears of laughter.

‘The point _is_ something keeps hurting him. He’s always got fresh ones. And some are really old, too. I think he’s been dealing with those for a couple of years.’

‘A couple of years?’ James asked incredulously, all looks of amusement now gone.

‘That’s an assumption, anyway.’

‘So, you really think he is? A werewolf, I mean?’

‘We’ll never know unless we talk to him about it. He’s not getting out of answering. I’m sick of all this “I’m busy” rubbish, and if lycanthropy is the reason he’s avoiding me, he’s being stupid. Completely and utterly stupid.’


	21. Year 2 - Revelations

**_ 21 – Revelations  _ **

** Kayla **

‘You’re crazy.’

Kayla shook her head. ‘No. I’m not. We have to talk to him about this. It’s the only way.’

‘Shortie’s actually right, James,’ Sirius said. ‘If the prat thinks he can hide something like that from us for the whole of the seven years, he’s mad.’

‘I just want to know why he didn’t trust us enough to tell us,’ James muttered.

‘Come on,’ Kayla said, scooping the charts together into a neat pile. ‘Let’s go find him.’

* * *

 

They found Remus, who was back in the common room again. Upon seeing them, his eyes widened an alarm and he shut his book, getting to his feet and bolting back up the staircase.

‘I’m sick of this crap,’ Kayla muttered. She held her head high and charged on after him, the Marauders following in suit.

She ran up the spiral staircase, running her hand along the stone wall as she did so. Just as they were nearing the dormitory, there was the telltale sound of something opening and slamming shut again. They reached the door and Kayla threw it open, her irritation really starting to build up. Remus, who had just thrown himself onto his bed, sat bolt upright.

‘REMUS LUPIN! STOP _BLOODY_ RUNNING AWAY FROM ME! I HAVE TO FREAKING TALK TO YOU! _’_

Even the boys that followed her in shrunk back slightly, her yelling was that intimidating.

Remus took a shaky breath. ‘Look, Kayla, I -’

‘You’ve what, huh? Been avoiding me for the most _stupid_ of reasons? Driving me absolutely insane?’ She quieted down. ‘We need to ask you about something, Remus.’

His face paled, and he mouthed something along the lines of _oh no_.

‘We’ve been looking into this since last year,’ James said, striding forward. ‘And I don’t know how it’s only just hit us now -’

‘I _told_ you I had theories,’ Sirius interjected.

‘And you made them sound really daft,’ James shot back. ‘Anyway, the point is . . . we know, Remus. You don’t have to hide it anymore.’

‘You’d be stupid if you tried to hide it,’ Peter said as Remus opened his mouth to defend himself.

‘I – _what are you on about?_ ’ Remus asked nervously, getting to his feet. ‘I mean, come on –’

‘Rem,’ Kayla said flatly. ‘You know what we’re talking about.’

That cut him short. There was a conflicting war in his eyes, one side of his head fighting with the other. It seemed to go back and forth. There were five seconds of silence before Remus threw his hands up in exasperation. ‘You know what? Fine! So what? I mean, it’s not as if it’s something horrible or anything. And, yeah, I could just as easily kill any of you if you got in the road without thinking twice about it -’

‘REMUS!’

The shout came from all four of them, each looking particularly brassed off. Kayla took a steady breath.

‘We don’t care, okay? We don’t care what you are. You’re still Remus. You’re still our friend. That’s never going to change.’

Remus’ eye twitched. ‘I’m a monster, Kaye. Don’t you get that? A vicious, bloodthirsty _monster_.’

‘You fold your _socks_ ,’ James said flatly. ‘Yeah, you’re _really_ terrifying. _’_

‘You wear stupid sweaters,’ Sirius put in.

‘And you’re an absolute dork,’ Peter added.

‘Thanks, guys,’ Remus muttered.

‘Don’t you get it, Rem?’ Kayla asked softly. ‘We don’t care. You have to realise that.’

‘But _I_ care! As long as I’m around, I’m putting you all in danger. And I’m not sure if I can deal with that.’

‘Well, you’re going to have to. Because we’re not leaving you. Not now, not ever. Okay?’

‘No.’ Remus shook his head. ‘No. I just can’t.’

Kayla grabbed both of his hands, looking him urgently in the eyes. ‘Yes, you _can_. And you _will_. We’re going to help you.’

‘Say it out loud,’ Remus whispered. ‘I want to see if you _really_ know.’

One second.

Two.

They dragged on

And on

And on

On

On

On . . .

Her heart was pounding violently in her chest. She could tell the others were thinking the same as her. She just couldn’t say it. Voicing the word would put reality to the concept.

A shadow passed over Remus’ eyes. ‘Thought so.’ He wrenched his hands out of hers.

‘Werewolf,’ she burst out. ‘You’re a werewolf.’

Halfway through turning around, Remus paused. ‘And . . . _what_ does that mean?’

‘We know perfectly well what it means,’ James said. ‘And you know that. _You’re_ just having trouble accepting that we’re not running away screaming. Aren’t you.’

‘ _Accepting?_ ’ Remus choked out. He turned back around. ‘James, I’ve had to move homes a ridiculous amount of times. All because the neighbours were getting suspicious about what they heard. Do you know _what_ they heard?’

James didn’t respond.

‘A werewolf,’ he started, ‘with nothing to attack; to bite. A werewolf that had to resort to attacking itself to deal with the frenzy. It took me ages to _accept_ that I’m stuck with this for the rest of my life. I came to terms with it, my mother did, my dad took a while, but he’s began dealing with it just now. But other people don’t. Because when they think about werewolves, they think about rampant beasts, which _are_ what we really are. But what they don’t know is that behind all of that is a terrified twelve-year old who has had to deal with it since he was seven.’

‘ _Seven?_ ’ Kayla repeated in a harsh whisper.

‘Seven. And there was nothing I could do about it.’

‘But . . . _Remus_. Why didn’t you tell us? Do you –’ Her voice broke slightly. ‘Do you not trust us or something?’

‘No,’ Remus murmured. ‘I was just worried that you would hate me. I mean, I deserve it –’

Sirius took two giant steps forward and clamped a hand over Remus’ mouth. ‘Shut. Up,’ he growled. ‘If I hear one more bloody comment about you being a monster and all that rubbish, I will toss you out the window. Got it?’

Remus’ eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything.

‘He’s right, Rem,’ Kayla echoed. ‘You really need to stop it.’

‘And whatever the hell it takes to prove this to you-’ James started.

‘I’m hungry,’ Peter said quietly.

‘-we will freaking _do_ it. Got it?’

Remus didn’t say anything, and a number of silent seconds passed. Kayla’s heart was pounding violently in her chest. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t believing them when they told him they didn’t care. It was stupid, really. He had to see that.

Then again, maybe it was because he couldn’t see what they saw; a boy with the constant need to study, who always did what he felt was right, who _barged_ his way right into Kayla’s life just so she could live it properly . . .

Damn it, she really hoped that he wasn’t developing an inferiority complex. Because that wouldn’t be any good.

Werewolves weren’t all bad. Kayla had proof, and that proof was standing right in front of her. Who would have known that werewolves had cheeky smiles and wore jumpers slightly too big for them. Who would have known that they were so endearing and caring – that they put the well-being of others before themselves. Who would have known that they had a stupid sense of humour, naming cats after fried chicken and complaining when the animal hated them. And who would have known that they were absolutely _perfect_ , despite the popular opinion . . .

Why didn’t the world see this side to them? _Why_ didn’t they give them a chance? Why didn’t they see that the sometimes savage nature couldn’t be helped; that it was in their blood?

For God’s sake, why didn’t anyone find a _cure?_

This prejudice wizards had against werewolves was just wrong. Kayla could see that now, and a resolution had formed that if _anyone_ hurt Remus, they would have hell to pay.

‘I’m dangerous,’ Remus whispered. ‘Don’t you get it?’

‘But you haven’t _hurt_ anyone!’ James burst out. Remus’ eyes shot up to meet his, a fierce light burning in them. ‘Haven’t I, James?’

James’ eyes narrowed. ‘Remus . . . what are you talking about?’

‘You think I _haven’t_ hurt someone.’ Remus’ voice cracked on _haven’t_. ‘You think that it’s been fine this whole time, just me and my madness?’

‘Remus -’

‘BECAUSE IT HASN’T, ALRIGHT? IT BLOODY _HASN’T_ AND I DON’T THINK I WILL EVER BE OKAY AGAIN! I KNOW WHAT I’M CAPABLE OF! I KNOW WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU!’

His eyes were glossy, and he stopped, taking a deep breath. ‘I don’t _want_ to hurt you. But I’m afraid I will. I don’t want to risk it.’

‘What are you risking, Remus?’ Kayla asked. ‘You’re not even here when you’re a wolf. How can you hurt us?’

‘Confinement doesn’t last forever,’ he whispered. ‘And I know mine won’t. I’m still growing, and as I do, I get even more savage. It won’t be long. I can feel it.’

There were several long seconds of silence before Sirius spoke. ‘You attacked someone, didn’t you? What happened?’

Remus sat back down, looking sickened. ‘I never meant to,’ he started quietly. ‘I really didn’t, and I didn’t know until the next day . . .’

He didn’t continue though, but sat there, starting at his feet quite like he was going to vomit. So Kayla tried to make it easier for him. ‘When?’

He chewed his lip and closed his eyes, taking a long, steady inhale. When he opened them again, he looked her straight in the eyes. ‘The holidays.’

That made her freeze in place. What? But, he had been writing to her the whole time . . . he didn’t sound like something of the sort had happened . . .

‘But you didn’t -’

‘Of _course_ I didn’t say anything!’ he burst out, throwing his arms out in exasperation. ‘What was I supposed to say? Was I _supposed_ to reveal that I was a werewolf, had savaged a Muggle and had been called to court?’

Kayla nearly fell over. ‘ _You went to COURT?_ ’

Remus froze, suddenly realising that he had said too much. ‘No – no I didn’t . . . what are you on about, Kaye?’ He gave a nervous laugh. ‘I was joking, that didn’t really happen -’

‘Or didn’t it?’ she inquired with a raised eyebrow, her voice dangerously low. ‘Didn’t it, _Remus?_ ’

He swallowed lightly. Behind Kayla, the Marauders were looking mutinous.

‘ _Remus_ ,’ Sirius said. His voice had a sharp edge to it. James crossed his arms, his face hard. Peter looked unamused, his blue eyes studying Remus in quiet anger.

‘What. Happened?’ James’ asked in a steely voice.

‘I – nothing. Nothing happened, James.’

James’ eyes narrowed, and he slipped his wand out of his jeans.

‘Don’t you d – argh!’

One minute, Remus was standing solidly on his two feet, the next James had shouted ‘ _Levicorpus!’_ and he had gone up into the air, hoisted by his ankle.

‘My patience is wearing thin, Remus,’ James said, striding forward. ‘Sorry that it’s come to this, but you gave me no bloody damn choice.’

Remus was going red as the blood rushed to his face, choking slightly and flailing his arms about. ‘James! Let me –’ He broke off and groaned as his face started going purple.

‘I’ll let you down if you tell us,’ James said flatly.

‘Fine! Just – just – oomph!’

In a tangled mess, Remus tumbled to the ground. He got to his feet hurriedly and brushed himself off, glaring at James. His face slowly started returning to its normal colour.

‘Thanks a lot, you prat,’ he grumbled.

James ignored this comment and shoved his wand back in his pocket. ‘I do believe you have a story to tell, Remus.’

Remus took a breath, looking irritable. ‘Fine. For god’s sake, if you _really_ want bloody “Story Time with Remus”, just shut up and let me get it out, okay?’

Sirius grinned, liking this idea. He promptly sat down on the floor at Remus’ feet, looking straight up at him. ‘If it’s Story Time, we might as well do it properly.’ He grabbed James by his pant leg and tugged him down beside him. The unsuspecting boy went down with a crash as he hit the floor a lot harder than he should have. Peter just flopped down beside them both. All three of them looked at Kayla expectantly. She rolled her eyes and gave a dramatic sigh before sitting down where she was. Sirius grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to the rest of the group. She slid along the floor with an exclamation of complaint before pulling a face and crossing her arms.

Nobody did anything. Seconds passed in silence, before Sirius waved his arms about. ‘Well? You’ve got a bloody story to tell us, don’t you, Moony?’

Remus blinked. ‘Moony?’

‘It’s fitting. Don’t you lot reckon so?’

The other two Marauders made noises of agreement, nodding their heads. Kayla just sighed.

‘Right,’ Remus started. ‘Well . . . I’ve only been told what happened. I don’t remember it for myself. But . . . apparently one night I broke out of the woodshed in the backyard . . .’

‘So that’s what you mean by “confinement doesn’t last forever”,’ Kayla said slowly. Remus nodded, looking slightly green.

If he broke out, he must have been really strong . . . or really savage. The thought worried Kayla. And to think, he wasn’t a fully grown werewolf yet . . . What would he be capable of when he was?

‘Well, I got out onto the street . . . and there were Muggles there . . .’

Oh no. _Oh no_.

The other three were also looking slightly worried.

‘In short, I attacked one and put them in St Mungo’s,’ he said, all in one breath. He stopped and watched them carefully.  

Kayla sat silently for a moment, letting that all sink in.

_I attacked one and put them in St Mungo’s . . ._

He had _actually_ attacked someone. That was why he was so anxious since term started. Granted, he had only lasted two weeks before they found out, but . . . wow. Just wow.

‘So . . . what happened?’ she pressed, dreading the answer.

‘Got called for a hearing,’ Remus said matter-of-factly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. ‘I got off, but . . . that lady really didn’t like me.’

‘Who?’

‘Whoever was running it. The hearing, I mean. I don’t remember her name – Elizabeth or something? – but she really seemed to have something against werewolves. She tried to get me . . .’

‘She tried to what?’ James pressed.

‘She – she tried to get me sent to an asylum.’

There was a collective gasp, just like in the classic story-tellings.

‘Right, where is she?’ Kayla growled, going to get to her feet. ‘I am going to hunt down that -’

‘At the present moment I am really thinking that is unnecessary,’ Sirius said, grabbing her by the wrist and reining her back in. Kayla gave him a heavy glare. He shrugged, giving her an _it’s true_ sort of look. She sighed in irritation and gestured for Remus to continue.

‘That’s it,’ Remus said. ‘Seriously, nothing else really happened. I got off, came back to school paranoid as hell and started hoping I could distance myself from the lot of you to keep you safe – you know, standard stuff.’

Kayla’s eyes narrowed. ‘So you _were_ trying to avoid us! You weren’t just being stupid for no reason whatsoever?’

Remus shook his head. ‘No, that came out wrong, I -’

‘No, I get it,’ Kayla said, getting to her feet. ‘You thought that we would judge you, or that we would . . . who _knows_ what you would come up with, but that’s not the point!’

She was fuming, her fists clenching and unclenching. She was seeing it all now. And it was starting to really _sting_.

‘You weren’t thinking about the fact that we were your _friends!_ ’ she very nearly shouted, her voice rising. ‘So even _when_ you were worried about our safety, which is really stupid, you wouldn’t tell us why you were being a prat like you were! That was why I had to go looking into it!’

‘Wait, no.’ Remus’ brow was furrowing as his own face lined itself with anger. ‘So you wouldn’t have even known by now if you hadn’t been looking into it? All because I was trying to _protect you_?’

‘Would you stop it with this “protecting us” rubbish? Why won’t you see that we don’t need you to do that? You wouldn’t let us in on all of this, just because you were afraid we would judge you, _hate you_ , even! You didn’t have any faith in us, did you?’

‘Yes I did!’ Remus shouted back. ‘You just don’t get it! Do you know what this sort of thing is like for me, Kayla? Do you?’

‘Yes, I get _that!_ What I don’t get is why you had that view on us! Why did you think that we would judge you?’

‘Because I’ve grown up knowing that it was the only thing that would ever happen to me! I had to realise that I was going to deal with stuff like that for the rest of my life, and that I was going to have to come to terms with is and get used to it! I’m used to it now, and it’s a reflex action for me!’

His face trembled with anger. Kayla ignored the violent beating of her heart and instead focused on the rage pumping through her veins. She was good at fighting. Just like her mum.

‘Well sometimes you have to think and take control of those reflex actions! Because sometimes they will screw up and you will be stuck, Remus, you will be _stuck!’_

That was a Caroline Edwards quote, taken straight from one of her battles . . . against one of her late boyfriends, actually. She really was a nice woman, and Kayla loved her, but for some people . . . relationships just never work out for them, no matter how hard they try. They just constantly crack and crumble. But like the soldier she was, Caroline continued on, trying to find someone she cared for and got along with, just so Kayla could have a father again. Kayla had been especially grateful to her grandparents for looking after her while her mother was working, as they did their best to fulfil the role a father generally would; coming on holiday trips and taking her around England, but it was never quite the same.

Remus took a steady breath, trying to control his anger. ‘I’ll be _stuck_ , will I?’

‘Mum and Dad are fighting,’ Peter whispered in a weak attempt to add humour to the heated argument.

‘Yes you will!’ Kayla shouted back, completely ignoring the blonde boy and still focusing on Remus. ‘And I wish you would see that!’

‘Well maybe -!’

‘As a return question, do you know what this is like for _us?_ Never knowing what’s going on and wanting to _help you?_ ’ she snapped, turning around and walking to the door. As she pulled it open, Remus shouted, ‘well maybe I don’t, but I really _try!_ ’

Not even turning to look at him, she walked out and slammed the door.


	22. Year 2 - That Poor Bird

**_ 22 – That Poor Bird _ **

** Remus **

As the door shut with a huge slam, all four of them were left in shock for a few minutes. Kayla’s words were racing through Remus’ head over and over again; a never ending cycle.

_You will be stuck, Remus, you will be stuck . . ._

_Sometimes you have to think and take control . . ._

_You didn’t have any faith in us . . ._

The worst thing was seeing her angry. Genuinely angry. But then, he was just as furious. He had shot back with his own comments.

James finally snapped out of the slight trance they were all in. ‘Mate, you have to follow her! Go on!’

Remus, suddenly realising that he was right, swore and ran across the room, throwing the door open and bolting down the staircase.

Where would have she gone? The girls’ dormitory?

Thinking that it was his best option at the moment, when Remus got into the common room he made a beeline straight for the other staircase, running up it.

He made it about three steps up before an ear-splitting, siren-like wail rang out and the stairs suddenly became a chute. Not expecting this, Remus let out a yell and tumbled backwards, sliding down to the bottom on his backside. Small clusters of people from all over the common room started laughing and Remus got to his feet, blushing furiously. James, Sirius and Peter shot down the boys’ staircase two seconds later.

‘What did you do?’ Sirius asked, looking as though he were about to burst into laughter. Remus shook his head. ‘Nothing.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

A horrible, wailing sound rang up the tower.

Kayla and Lily looked up from their positions on Lily’s bed, Lily still with her arms wrapped around the other girl. ‘What was that?’

Marley, who had been sitting on the end of the bed, got up. ‘I’ll go scout.’

‘Okay. Are you going to tell us now?’ Lily asked, looking at Kayla, who was pretty sure her cheeks were still blotchy. She shook her head.

‘Wait ‘til Marley comes back. Then we’ll conference.’

Lily gave a small nod. Marley stepped out the door and teetered on the edge of what looked like a slide. ‘Woah!’

She turned to give the other two an _I’m-not-stopping-here-okay?-This-looks-like-it-will-be-hilarious_ sort of look. She then ran back in, grabbed her broom, sat on it and hovered a few feet above the ground, going out into the staircase. She was gone for about a minute before she returned.

‘Remus tried to get up,’ she said flatly, tossing her broom onto her bed. ‘Right . . .’ She climbed back onto Lily’s bed with the other two, drew the curtains and muttered _Silencio_ under her breath.

‘Just in case the demons come in,’ she said in answer to their questioning expressions. ‘Now, spill.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘Did it actually just turn into a slide?’ James asked incredulously. Remus nodded mutely. Silently, the chute then morphed back into a set of stairs.

‘Right,’ James said. ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures. Also, I have an idea.’ He turned and disappeared up the boys’ staircase.

‘Know what he’s gonna do?’ Peter asked. Both Remus and Sirius shook their heads.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

The wail rang out for a second time and Marley groaned, rolling her eyes. ‘Not again,’ she muttered.

Then it happened again.

And again.

And again.

And again . . .

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘You’re not being very helpful,’ Remus said flatly, his arms crossed over his chest.

James slid down the chute again, the rug he had brought out still beneath him. ‘But it’s fun.’ He picked it up, waited a second until the stairs reformed, then ran up as fast as he could before the siren restarted, then swiftly plopping down on the rug again. He skidded back down at Remus’ feet.

‘Was this,’ Sirius asked, ‘the desperate measures, or the idea?’

‘The idea,’ James responded, disappearing up the staircase again. One shriek later, he was back down with them.

‘So what were you going to do that was helpful?’ Remus posed, his tone unamused. James seemed to remember this and jumped to his feet. ‘Be right back!’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘So, he didn’t trust you, but you can’t tell us what with?’ Marley summed up. Kayla just nodded. Lily hugged her.

‘Aww, honey. That’s not good, even though he’s an idiot sometimes. Maybe he just wasn’t thinking properly.’

‘Does he _ever_ think?’ Marley asked incredulously.

‘More than Potter does,’ Lily responded. Marley raised her hands defensively. ‘Never said he did.’

Lily made a noise somewhat like a _humph_ and crossed her arms.

The sun was just starting to set on the grounds outside, casting an orange glow through the window and onto the bed. Lily, starting to notice this, sighed and got to her feet.

‘Got to go,’ she muttered. ‘Detention.’

‘When?’ Marley posed. ‘I’ll escort you.’

‘In about five.’

* * *

** Remus **

‘Now,’ James said, broomstick in hand. ‘I’m pretty sure you can avoid the slide on a broom.’ He passed it over to Remus, with a warning look that said not to break it. Remus, who was perfectly educated in flying such an object before, simply rolled his eyes. ‘This isn’t going to work, I’m telling you.’

James pulled a face. ‘Speak for yourself. Just give it a try.’

He sighed and swung a leg over it, rising slowly into the air. Leaning towards the staircase, he started to ascend the spiral structure before a door swung open and he was greeted by Marlene and Lily. They both crossed their arms respectively.

‘What do you think you’re doing?’ Marlene posed.

‘Erm . . .’

She pointed to the common room. ‘Down. Now.’

Remus sighed in defeat and turned the broom around.

* * *

 

** Lily **

One detention later, Lily returned to the common room smelling horribly like rotten toad innards and desperate to get cleaned up. Despite Slughorn liking her, he hadn’t been hesitant in setting her up with things to do.

Sadly, she ran into the last face she wanted to see.

‘You don’t smell too good, Evans.’

With a heavy exhale, she turned around slowly to find Potter right behind her, grinning.

‘I am aware of it,’ she said irritably.

‘Would you like me to clean you up?’ he posed, the smile never leaving his face. Instinctively, Lily cringed.

‘No!’

‘Aww, come on, Evans!’ he whined. ‘It’ll be fine.’

‘I will hex you!’

‘I’d like to see you try.’

Oh, he was going to get it.

‘Facere viridis!’

Potter winced, preparing for impact. Then he looked up with a triumphant smirk on his face. ‘Ha! See? Nothing happened?’

Lily quirked an eyebrow. ‘Oh? Are you sure about that?’

He paled, then looked down at his hand. ‘Ahh!’

Leaping backwards, eyes wide, he inspected it further. Coloured an odd shade of green, his hand flexed as he made sure it was still his own. Slowly the colour started spreading all over him, even going as far to change his unruly black hair to something more suited to the skin of a watermelon.

Lily burst into laughter. ‘Also, while I’m talking to you, are you even going to start that book?’

He seemed to remember the bet and groaned audibly. ‘Damn it.’

For the first time in quite a while, Lily felt victory.

* * *

 

** Remus **

Days passed. Lessons became increasingly more awkward as both he and Kayla had been paired up for a Potions assignment, and she wasn’t willing to talk. She simply conducted the necessary work in cold, angry silence, while Remus fidgeted anxiously, not sure what to do. His own rage had long since worn off, and now he just felt like rubbish. James, Sirius and Peter had been doing huge, elaborate forms of sign language from across the room, nearly falling out of their seats (scratch that, James did it once) from such violent movement. After lessons, Remus never had a chance to track her down somewhere away from the girls’ dormitory, as that was where she seemed to live now. She didn’t even take a library break, which was odd.

Lily had taken the time to break down her moods for him at breakfast, all based on the going-ons that happened during the night. Apparently, she had started off by spontaneously bursting into tears, then that progressed into a violent rage over the next day or two, before becoming into a slightly quieter (but just as violent) state of irritability. Now, she was just plain angry, sitting and quietly brooding.  He had started wondering how she was capable of such a feat, then Marlene (who was insisting that he called her Marley or she would pop her top) told him rather bluntly that girls were spectacular at holding grudges. That actually explained quite a lot.

Because Lily refused to be his “owl”, he couldn’t tell Kayla what he wanted through the other girl. Lily was slightly sympathetic to his cause however, and wasn’t cold-shouldering him like Kayla was.

Remus felt lost. Genuinely lost.

* * *

 

It wasn’t until a lot later that the idea occurred to him. Week five since arriving at Hogwarts had just rolled around, and as the sun was setting on Monday night, Remus retired to the boys’ dormitory. Lily had just disappeared into the girls’ tower, once again explaining to him that she wasn’t passing on messages.

But . . . he had another way to.

Snatching up a scrap of parchment from his bag and fishing out a quill, Remus started writing. He would start off small – as in _really_ small.

**Please talk to me.**

He stood up again and called over James’ owl (named after his favourite Quidditch player, Jeremy Davidson), before fastening the note to his leg.

‘That room over there, okay?’ he asked, leaning out the window with the bird on his arm and pointing. Jeremy gave him a look that said _seriously? You can’t just walk there?_ before spreading his wings and gliding over to the other dormitory. Remus sighed and sat down on his bed, just hoping that she would read it.

Several long minutes passed before there was a tapping on the glass, and Jeremy was back outside again, wanting to get in. Remus pushed the window back open and he hopped onto the sill, hooting irritably. Remus inspected him. No note. Damn it.

Right when he was about to sit down and give up completely, he noticed the tiniest square of parchment tied onto the bird’s claw. Remus untied it and unfolded the note.

_What about?_

Biting his lip, he picked up his quill again and scribbled a response.

**Aren’t you angry?**

_So?_

**Can I at least say I’m sorry? You’ve definitely won this one.**

_Won what?_

**Arguments regarding life, I guess. But why are you so mad?**

Jeremy came back without a note this time. Grinding his teeth in frustration, Remus tried again.

**Come on, Kaye. Please?**

_Why am I so mad? I thought you knew, Remus._

**Well, so did I. But I need a more thorough explanation.**

_I . . . not now. Please?_

**Fine.**

He didn’t know what to say. What _do_ you say when something like this happens? Then, a memory began stirring in the back of his mind.

**You know, I still haven’t read that book. Pride and Prejudice, wasn’t it? Do you reckon you could send it over to me?**

_That poor bird. You seriously want me to send it over?_

**Meet me in the common room. Fair?**

There was a long pause. A seriously long pause. Then:

_Alright. But only for a minute._

* * *

 

** Kayla **

She actually succumbed to him. She couldn’t believe it. The whole time he was sending notes, she was always telling herself not to listen to him, to be as short as she possibly could. But, as he had done so many times before, Remus Lupin always managed to get her to do what he wanted.

Holding the book the her chest, Kayla stepped out of the dormitory and made her way down the steps, into the common room where he was waiting. Upon seeing her, a slight grin graced his features, but Kayla kept her expression neutral. She held out the book. ‘Here.’

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her by the wrist. ‘Come on, Kaye. Can’t we try to put this behind us? I really think this has been dragged out for too long.’

‘It’s only been a couple of weeks,’ she muttered, crossing her arms and staring at her feet.

‘And they’ve been the worst “couple of weeks” in my life,’ he shot back. That startled her. Looking up, eyes wide, she posed: ‘Not even when - ?’

‘Not even then,’ he said firmly, cutting over her. ‘And you have to realise that. You matter too much to me.’

‘Remus Lupin,’ she said, a small smile creeping on her lips. ‘You always manage it. Every time you win, and I don’t bloody know how.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley absolutely hated pineapples. Damn Sirius Black.

 


	23. Year 2 - Pineapples. WHY Pineapples?

**_ 23 – Pineapples. WHY Pineapples? _ **

** Marlene **

From the top, then?

Alright.

The incident started when there were two children, one by the name of Sirius Prat Black, and the other was Marlene Goddess McKinnon.

Maybe that was a bit biased. But anyway, the point was that Sirius had tugged Marley along in an attempt to get into the kitchens. He had admitted that the Marauders hadn’t figured out how to get in yet, but they knew the location. And so, Marley had the “honours” of helping him work it out.

Psh. Marley didn’t have the same opinion.

‘Here we are.’

Sirius skidded to a stop in front of a giant painting of fruit, and gestured with wide arms. ‘The entrance we cannot figure out. Maybe you’re smarter than we are.’

‘Highly doubtable,’ Marley muttered.

‘Yeah, that’s probably true,’ he admitted. ‘But still, any contribution is better than nothing.’

Marley sighed irritably. She really wasn’t in the best of moods right now.

Sirius whirled on her. ‘ _Why are you so grumpy?’_

She just about scoffed. No way was she telling him _that._ ‘Nothing.’

Sirius gave her a flat stare and she waved him off, directing his attention back to the painting. ‘Well?’

Instantly forgetting what they had just been talking about, Sirius grinned and continued explaining. ‘We’re supposed to tickle _something_. I just don’t know what, yet.’

‘The peach?’ she suggested. He shook his head. ‘It’s not a very ticklish peach.’

‘The banana?’

‘Nope.’

‘The mango?’

‘Already tried.’

‘The pineapple?’

Sirius opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. ‘No, actually. We haven’t tried that.’

Marley gestured to the fruit. ‘I’m not stopping you. Go right ahead.’

Sirius hesitantly reached out, then tickled the pineapple. Nothing happened. Then, there was the sound of a low growling echoing through the corridor.

‘Did that pineapple . . . grumble at me?’ Sirius asked incredulously.

‘I think it did,’ Marley muttered stepping back.

‘Maybe I should try again . . .’

‘ _No!_ ’

But Sirius did it anyway. He reached out and gave the fruit another prod. Another snarl resounded around them.

‘I think we should get out of here,’ Marley muttered.

‘Agreed . . .’

But they were too late. There was a bright flash of light, and Marley yelled out and closed her eyes, momentarily blinded. When she opened them again, she felt a little . . . different.

The walls were higher. She was looking at the room from a new angle.

‘What the - ?’ she cried, attempting to look around, but failing. Her head alone seemed to be sitting on the stone floor, and the rest of her body was gone. ‘No!’

‘Marley . . .’ Sirius said slowly. ‘Ah, bugger.’

‘ _What?_ ’ she very nearly shrieked, looking at him. Except he wasn’t there. There was only a pineapple. ‘ _Where did you go?_ ’

‘Right here!’

His voice seemed to be coming from the pineapple. Then, it moved almost as though it were attempting to turn around. Marley braced herself, preparing for the worst.

‘Sirius? Where are you?’

‘Here!’ the pineapple shouted, twisting around completely. Marley screamed.

Yes, it was a pineapple. But it wasn’t, at the same time. Sirius’ eyes, nose and mouth were fused into the front of it. Sirius Black was a pineapple.

‘You’re a –’

‘So are you!’ he bellowed. ‘You’re a freaking _pineapple_ , Marley!’

Her heart just about stopped right there and then.

‘WHAT?’

She couldn’t even look at herself, which was the worst. Sirius’ eyes were panicked and wide as he surveyed her.

‘WHAT THE FREAKING HELL DID YOU DO, BLACK? I WILL _KILL_ YOU!’

‘I DON’T KNOW!’ he cried. ‘I DON’T BLOODY KNOW!’

‘WELL KEEP YELLING BECAUSE WE MIGHT GET SOMEONE TO TURN UP. YOU ARE SUCH AN IDIOT! WHY DID YOU TICKLE THE STUPID PINEAPPLE?’

‘YOU TOLD ME TO!’

‘DON’T YOU REALISE THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER _EVER_ LISTEN TO ME? I’M A COMPLETE IDIOT! I NEVER KNOW WHAT I’M DOING!’

‘BUT WHY DID YOU SUGGEST THE PINEAPPLE? WHY NOT THE PEAR?’

‘KNOWING OUR LUCK, IT ACTUALLY _WAS_ THE PEAR! GODDAMNIT!’

‘WHAT IS THIS RACKET? I HAVE PATIENTS DOWN HERE THAT NEED TO REST! CAN I NOT GO SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE WITHOUT NEEDING TO INTERFERE IN STUDENT QUARRELS? YOU WILL WAKE UP THE ENTIRE CASTLE!’ A new voice joined the fray as Madam Pomfrey stormed down the corridor, looking mutinous. She didn’t seem to notice the two pineapples sitting on the floor and looked around, searching for people. ‘Well? Where are you? There’s no use in hiding!’

‘Oi! Lady! Down here!’

Pomfrey’s head snapped around at the sound of Sirius’ voice, and completely disregarding his impertinence, she surveyed the scene with a somewhat shocked expression. ‘What have you _done?_ ’ she cried exasperatedly. ‘How did you manage _this_?’

If she could have pointed, Marley would have wordlessly gestured to the painting of fruit. Instead, she gave a rather flat response. ‘Moody pineapples.’

The matron sighed and rolled her eyes, walking forward. Her heels made clacking sounds on the stone as she approached them, before she squatted down and picked the two of them up.

‘I will get a proper explanation back at the Wing,’ she said sternly, shooting disapproving looks at them. Marley just huffed while Sirius looked as though he were about to burst into laughter.

‘You are _so_ going to get it,’ she said irritably to him, giving him a warning glare. This was the trigger. Sirius was howling all the way back to the wing, revelling in Marley’s obvious discomfort.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Wing, Pomfrey all but _tossed_ them each on to a bed before clucking in irritability and disappearing into the depths of a supply cupboard. Marley remained silent while Sirius’ laughing subsided into stifled guffaws. After a moment, he had another prod.

‘Seriously, what’s up? The Marley I know would love this! Haven’t you ever had ambitions to be a pineapple?’

‘Perhaps once,’ she replied stiffly, ‘but at the present moment, no.’

‘Perhaps _once_ ,’ Sirius repeated. ‘Maybe that’s because you’re more of a mango person. Whaddya say to being a mango instead?’

The glare Marley was sporting was enough to shut him up in itself.

Pomfrey trotted back over, carrying two vials of a light blue substance. She uncorked both of them and tipped the liquid down each of their throats. Marley coughed and spluttered as it entered her systems, trying not to vomit it all back up. It was something like vinegar, mixed with extreme amounts of salt. Something like that is really hard to take in.

There was another blinding flash of light, and Marley winced. When she looked up again, Sirius was sitting (fully intact) on the other bed and looking relieved. His eyes then set on Marley and his eyebrows rose.

Yes, Marley was still a pineapple.

How? She didn’t know.

Madam Pomfrey’s brow creased as also noticed this, before a slight look of realisation came over her. ‘Ah. I see. Stay here.’

‘Wasn’t planning on going anywhere,’ Marley muttered. Sirius was busy flexing his hands and arms as though to make sure they were really there.

Pomfrey returned with a small jar of pink stuff and a full explanation. ‘Despite being in another form, your bodies are still functioning as they should. They are, so to speak, condensed into the shape of the pineapple, but they are still there. As are all of the processes taking place, which is why you have retained vital organs such as your nose and mouth. Your respiratory systems are still functioning perfectly. However in regards to the hex, it is not intended to be long-lasting. You are only really using what is necessary until you are expected to change back. Unfortunately, this would usually have been roughly twelve hours.’

She unscrewed the lid off the jar and scooped up a spoonful, before mixing it into some of the leftover blue stuff. Marley grudgingly took it (less strong this time) and sighed in relief as she felt her body popping and changing in the blinding light. She was more than relieved when she opened her eyes again and inspected herself, relieved that she was also fully intact.

‘Now,’ she said, walking back over to the cupboard and putting everything away. ‘How did you manage to do this?’

‘It was the painting’s fault,’ Sirius said defensively, getting to his feet. ‘Not mine.’

‘No, it was completely your fault,’ Marley snapped, wincing as she did the same. Her back was a little sore. ‘I told you not to touch the freaking pineapple when it started growling the first time!’

‘How was _I_ supposed to know this would happen, though?’ he cried incredulously.

‘You need to take a damn warning when you get it!’ she shot back, arms akimbo.

‘Go on, out!’ Pomfrey said firmly, ushering them to the doorway. ‘Take your pitiful quarrels away from here.’

‘It was still your fault,’ Marley grumbled.

‘It was the pineapple’s!’

* * *

 

‘Where have you been?’ Lily inquired curiously as Marley flopped into the armchair beside her.

‘Trust me, you _don’t_ want to know.’

‘That bad?’ Her tone was dry. ‘What did you do now?’

‘ _I_ didn’t do anything. It was Sirius’ fault.’

‘Oh?’

‘He got us turned into pineapples.’

Lily just about choked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘Long story . . .’

* * *

 

** Sirius **

After explaining a very epic (and very inaccurate) version of events to James, both he and Sirius decided to have a game of chess to relax a little. Sirius still found everything positively hilarious, but he was knackered all the same.

James spent more time eyeing Lily and Marley who were sitting in front of the fire nearby, and a few times only pulled his head in just in time to save some vital pieces. Sirius just guffawed whenever he did this, and James responded by either ignoring him or punching him in the arm – two polar opposite responses.

The girls’ conversation was carrying over to where they were sitting, and Marley was relaying the truthful version of the story, still sounding as irritable and grumpy as ever. Sirius was wondering what had caused it. Though, maybe it was best not to ask. He was aware how good she was at winning fights. He didn’t exactly want to brass her off more than she already was at the moment. His face depended on it.

Though, it seemed that Lily was asking the question for him. ‘Why are you so grumpy, Marls? I thought you would find that hilarious.’

‘Psh,’ Marley grumbled. ‘Bloody _hilarious_ my foot.’

Lily blinked, then sighed irritably. ‘ _Marley . . .’_

‘No, seriously, I’m failing to find this amusing.’

Lily shook her head slowly, and Sirius moved his queen diagonally three spaces, taking out James’ bishop. He grumbled, but was obviously more interested in the other conversation as well.

‘Are you alright?’ Lily finally prodded.

Marley sighed. ‘Yeah, ‘m fine. Sorry, Lil. Wrong end of the month.’

Lily made a small o with her mouth then laughed slightly. ‘Ah. Okay. That’s fine, then.’

Sirius blinked. James blinked. They looked at each other, stunned expressions on their faces.

‘Did you just hear what I heard?’ James whispered hoarsely.

‘Yeah,’ Sirius muttered back. ‘Do you think - ?’

‘If it is, this is just _crazy_.’

‘Oh, wow. Should we - ?’

‘Now or later?’

‘Ask Remus first?’

‘Nah, he’s off somewhere. He’ll take too long to track down.’

‘But he’s the expert in this.’

‘Ask _her_ first.’

‘Again, now or later?’

‘Now.’

They both pushed back their chairs which made scraping sounds against the floor and got to their feet, crossing the room to Marley, standing right in front of both of the girls. They looked up from their conversation. Lily raised her eyebrows. Marley just crossed her arms.

‘Can we talk to you?’ James asked seriously.

She sighed. ‘I’ve had enough of bloody pineapples for one day. Do I have to?’

‘It’s not to do with pineapples,’ Sirius answered. She narrowed her eyes, but got to her feet. Lily shot her a confused look, but Marley waved her off, mouthing _I’ll be fine_. Lily nodded and relaxed in her chair again, taking a book up from the coffee table.

Sirius and James led Marley into an empty corner of the common room, making sure to keep their voices low.

‘We need to ask you an important question,’ Sirius said.

‘Please tell us the truth, okay?’ James added.

Marley’s eyes narrowed even further. ‘What’s this about?’

‘We couldn’t help but overhear before -’ Sirius started.

‘See, at least I told the truth about what happened,’ Marley groaned resting her forehead on her fingertips.

James looked confused. ‘Wait, what?’

Sirius grinned guilty. ‘ _Maybe_ Acromantula weren’t actually involved.’

James rolled his eyes. ‘Should’ve guessed.’

 ‘Anyway,’ Sirius continued, ‘we’re getting off topic. We overheard something and we need to ask you -’

‘Are you by any chance a werewolf?’ James asked, grabbing her by the wrist. ‘Are you?’

Marley blinked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘You heard him,’ Sirius said. ‘You are, aren’t you?’

She wrenched her hand out of James’ grip. ‘Where the hell did you get that inclination? What the – _werewolf? What?_ ’

‘Well,’ James said, wringing his hands, ‘you said something about it being the “wrong end of the month”, and we just thought –’

Marley smacked both of them upside the head. _Hard._ ‘You’re a pair of idiots, both of you!’ she very nearly screeched, trying to keep her voice as quiet as she could. ‘You’re so _stupid!_ ’

‘What did we miss?’ Sirius asked quickly. ‘I was so sure -’

‘Do you even know _anything?_ ’

‘It’s very possible that we don’t -’

‘Seriously, you do _not_ ask a girl a question like that.’

‘Why not?’

Sirius really wished he hadn’t asked. Five minutes later when he and James walked away, they still had red marks on their faces. The only difference was that now they were considerably more enlightened in regards to the female anatomy.

‘You _had_ to ask, didn’t you?’ James grumbled irritably. Sirius watched Marley walk back to Lily. She muttered a few choice words to her, and they both burst into uncontrollable laughter. Sirius flushed red and looked away. He seriously thought he wouldn’t be able to look at Marley the same way again.

‘You were the one who _said_ to ask,’ he muttered.

‘Shut it, you.’


	24. Year 2 - Influence

**_ 24 – Influence _ **

** James **

‘She’s still following me,’ James hissed. Sirius spared one quick look behind them down the corridor, and indeed, Claire and Imogen were stalking them like birds of prey or something. Birds of prey who were prancing around like they were fifteen, anyway. Sirius looked at him, and then grabbed him by the wrist. They shot around the corner and Sirius dove behind a tapestry. James followed in suit, remembering this passageway. They sprinted past torches sitting in brackets on the walls and were headed straight for the other side, and, if James’ memory served him correctly, they should come out in the girls’ bathroom on the second floor. Inconvenient, yes, but no one ever used it.

Sirius ran ahead to the end of the passage and pushed on what appeared to be a solid stone wall. It grated backwards and shifted, revealing the bathroom.

‘Do you think we lost her?’ James managed through heavy breathing. Sirius nodded, clutching a stitch in his side.

‘Easily. We just went down three floors, and there’s no way she’ll know that we’d end up here.’

‘And what are _you_ doing here?’ a new voice inquired, sounding thoroughly disgruntled. Sirius and James looked up to see . . . ah, well . . .

‘Hello, Myrtle,’ James said, grinning guiltily. Moaning Myrtle quirked an eyebrow, watching them while floating upside down.

‘You know, it’s not nice to run from people,’ she said sulkily.

‘Trust me,’ James assured her, ‘this person’s a psychopath. She _needs_ to be avoided.’

Myrtle pursed her lips. ‘Boys are so insensitive,’ she finally said.

‘Actually,’ Sirius said, ‘it’s true. She feels the need to be a stalker, then takes it out on someone else when nothing works out.’

Myrtle rolled her eyes and started to float away. ‘ _Goodbye_.’

They sighed with relief when she finally disappeared.

 _Thank god,_ James mouthed. Sirius grinned.

They were pulled up short by the sound of the door opening and voices filling the bathroom. They both froze, looking at each other in alarm. They knew those voices.

‘ . . . Seriously, she won’t leave me alone! It’s not like I _want_ anything to do with bloody _Potter_. But she’s convinced I do!’ James grinned as he and Sirius ducked out of sight behind the sinks in the centre of the room. Even when she thought he wasn’t there, Evans liked to talk about him.

‘Lil, if worse comes to worst, punch her in the face. She’s not gonna back up otherwise.’ Marley.

‘Is violence really all that necessary?’ a third voice posed, which James recognised as Kayla’s.

‘Yep,’ Marley responded. ‘It solves _everything_.’

By the sound of it, Evans sighed, and James looked over at Sirius. He was motioning violently that they needed to get out. He nodded, and they both got onto their stomachs, flat against the floor. Army crawling time.

There was the sound of footsteps moving to the other side of the room, and the boys shimmied across the floor as fast as they could, making it out of the door successfully.

* * *

 

‘We are not taking that passage again,’ James muttered as they walked down the corridor, hands in pockets. Sirius nodded in agreement.

‘I thought no one ever went in there.’

‘Well, apparently they do.’

‘That’s one less passage we can use. We’ll need to find a new route to take when running from Filch.’

‘Agreed.’

They stopped when they almost walked straight into a group of people, looking up. The gang of second and third year Slytherins were standing before them, smirking.

‘What are you two doing here?’ Avery posed. ‘This path only leads to the dungeons. After some Potions tutoring, eh?’

Sirius rolled his eyes. ‘Shove off, Avery. We’re just wandering. Can’t we do that?’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘I dunno. What do you think, lads?’

There was some non-committal grumbling and shoulder shrugging as the smallest of the group was pushed forward. James blinked in surprise. Was that - ?

‘Reg?’ Sirius said, looking stunned. Regulus looked at his shoes and scuffed them absently on the stone floor.

‘What are you doing with this lot?’ Sirius asked. Dolohov, a large, muscly third year, snorted.

‘At least he knows the difference between what’s good company and what’s not. Unlike _someone._ What’s _your_ little group’s name? The Marauders or something?’

Sirius looked at him flatly, unamused. James mirrored his expression and tried his best to look intimidating. It didn’t help that they were all smaller than the rest of them.

‘You think it’s okay to befriend half-bloods, too. And worse, _mudbloods_.’

‘Go find someone else to hassle,’ James said irritably. ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but I believe we said we were meeting Peeves soon, didn’t we, Sirius?’

Sirius, quickly cottoning on to this, nodded. ‘Said that he’d be down here in ten. If you’d like to keep your hair on, ladies, I’d move it.’

Avery quirked an eyebrow, undeterred by this. ‘That the best you’ve got?’

James crossed his arms. ‘Well, it’s true.’

And nothing needed to be explained any further when a cackling Peeves swooped into the corridor, a handful of Cornish Pixies in tow.

* * *

 

‘They’re not going to recover from that,’ James said gleefully, laughing.

Sirius shook his head. ‘Most likely they’ll be scarred for life.’ He chewed his lip, looking down at the ground moodily. James knew what was on his mind.

‘Regulus will be okay,’ he said. ‘They won’t do anything to him.’

‘Yeah, but what will they _get_ him to do?’ Sirius shot back.

‘If he’s anything like you,’ James argued, ‘he will be too smart to do what they tell him.’

‘But he’s a terrified eleven year old, and he’s in the company of _Slytherins_. And, if you couldn’t tell, they aren’t as nice as what you lot were. He will have _no bloody choice_.’

He took a shaky breath and continued. ‘I mean, it won’t be so bad now, when they’re still young, but as they get older . . . the Slytherins are just a group of wannabe Death Eaters. You know that, right, James?’

James nodded, sudden realisation dawning on him. ‘Oh.’

‘Yeah. _Oh_ ,’ Sirius said bitterly. ‘It was my job to look after him, and I’m failing already.’

‘Hey, no,’ James said, catching him by the wrist. ‘It’s Regulus’ life, you know that. He has common sense, and you have to let him make his decisions in life. All you can do is influence that. You can’t make him do what you want.’

Sirius glared. ‘Well I don’t want them to _mess up_ his life.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

Halloween came and went, and time was starting to fly again. October progressed into November, which steadily clocked over to December. Hogwarts had outdone itself again with decorations; tinsel decorated every doorway, the twelve huge Christmas trees were in the Great Hall, the suits of armour were wearing little Santa hats and once when Lily had seen a house elf cleaning up the common room, it was also wearing a hat and false beard. It was certainly very queer in her opinion.

For the holidays, Lily was inviting Marley and Kayla to her house and hoping that Petunia wouldn’t resume the bitterness she had been harbouring the last time Lily had returned. For the entire summer, Petunia wouldn’t speak a word to her, slamming doors in her face and muttering insults under her breath. Lily had found the actions incredibly hurtful, and despite their parent’s pleading, Petunia still didn’t try to be civilised. As of now, if she wasn’t going to cooperate, Lily was just going to give up. She couldn’t change what she was, and if Petunia wasn’t going to accept that, she would just have to deal with it. Though, Lily knew deep inside that she would do anything to re-establish the relationship she used to have with her sister. Anything.

At the present moment, Lily, Marley and Kayla were sprawled over Lily’s bed, half piled on top of each other and not bothering in the least to pack. Marley had a stripy, sock-wearing foot in Lily’s face and was on the top of the pile, quite happily letting her limbs go rampant. It didn’t help that she was flexible and was able to casually lie around in ways that made the other two cringe.

‘You know,’ Kayla finally said, stretching and yawning. ‘We should really get a move on. The train leaves in an hour, doesn’t it?’

‘Think so,’ Lily mumbled. ‘Can’t be bothered to get up, though.’

‘I’m not movin’,’ Marley said flatly.

‘Fine,’ Kayla muttered. ‘We’ll do this the hard way, then.’

Without further ado, she promptly shoved Marley off the top, and the other girl fell to the ground with a heavy ‘oomph!’

‘ _Easy!_ ’ she squawked irritably.

Kayla looked at Lily. ‘Can you be bothered now?’

Lily raised her hands in surrender. ‘Don’t push me!’

Kayla sat up and swung her feet off the bed, getting up and crossing the room to her trunk, flipping it open and pulling out a small shoulder bag. She stuffed some clothes and a bag of toiletries inside, then opened her cupboard and tossed out a pair of joggers. After adding them and a choice book to the bag, she turned around, arms akimbo. ‘Tada! That’s seriously all you have to do.’

Marley grumbled non-committedly. Lily however, followed in suit, getting to her feet for herself, then hauling Marley up. Marley huffed and moseyed off to her cupboard, swinging the doors open and sending various articles of clothing flying, while Lily attempted to catch them all. She yelped when a shoe clonked her on the head and Marley apologised without even looking at her, before tossing more stuff out. Kayla started to help Lily, and when in their haste they smacked into each other, they burst out laughing.

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘I have an idea,’ Peter said. ‘Before we go, I just want to put it out there.’

The other three looked up from the mess of undefinable clothing in the middle of the dormitory. ‘Yeah?’

‘Animagi,’ he said simply.

James paused, confused and an old shirt in hand. ‘Wait, what?’

‘Animagi,’ he repeated.

Sirius gestured with his hands. ‘You might want to elaborate on that, Pete.’

‘Wait.’ James put up a hand. He seemed to be cottoning on to whatever Peter was saying. ‘Animagi. Does that have something to do with Moony’s furry little problem?’

Remus groaned. ‘ _What have you thought of now?_ ’

‘Erm . . .’ Peter shrunk back slightly, watching Remus anxiously.

‘Don’t worry about him,’ Sirius said, waving Remus off. ‘What were you saying?’

‘Well . . . werewolves only hurt people, right?’

Remus froze as he suddenly realised what Peter was talking about. ‘No! You can’t do that! It’s illegal!’

A huge grin started to spread over James’ face. ‘Peter, you _genius!_ Why didn’t I think of that?’

‘Library time,’ Sirius said.

Before Remus could even react, the three of them had shot off down the staircase. He shouted a feeble, ‘but we’re not done packing!’ after them that went completely ignored.

* * *

 

‘You _can’t_ ,’ Remus groaned. ‘You just _can’t_ , okay? It’s too hard – what if you get found out? Then you’ll be in trouble -’

‘Remus, shut up,’ Sirius said flatly, not even bothering to look up from the book they were poring over.

‘But we need to go! The train’s coming soon!’

‘I do believe there is this nagging person at the corner of my mind named Remus Lupin. Should I listen to him?’ James asked, looking up. Sirius shook his head. ‘I don’t think he’s getting the point that we _don’t care_ what the result of this is. We just want to help him, don’t we James?’

Remus groaned. ‘I am _not_ okay with this idea, alright?’

‘Which one do you think?’ Sirius asked, completely ignoring him and looking at James. ‘I mean, I don’t think you get a choice, but what would you prefer?’

‘Hmm.’ James leant in to the book, flipping through the pages.

Remus peered over his shoulder, watching him skim through various animals. ‘Even if I did think this was a good idea, it will be too hard. _Adults_ struggle with this sort of thing.’

 ‘Not doing anything to change my mind,’ Sirius said.

James grinned and looked up from the book, shutting it abruptly. ‘Now to next order of business. I reckon we should all have nicknames. Moony can’t be the only person to have one.’

‘That I agree with,’ Sirius said. ‘But what would we do? We’re not Animagi _yet_.’

‘But it’s kinda like a spirit animal thing, though isn’t it?’ Peter said. ‘Remember that barmy Divination teacher, whatever her name was? She was going on about our spirit animals when we passed her in the corridors, saying that I’m a rat.’

Sirius snorted. ‘Why? Because you like cheese?’

‘Probably,’ Peter said.

‘There!’ James said suddenly, pointing at Peter with both hands. ‘There we have it. Wormtail.’

‘Worm _what?_ ’ Peter asked incredulously.

‘Your nickname,’ James said, as though it were perfectly obvious. ‘Rats have tails like worms, plus, no one will have the slightest in regards to what we’re on about.’

‘You’re mad,’ Remus said flatly. ‘James, you’ve gone off the edge.’

‘No I haven’t,’ James said absently. ‘Come on, Pete, you remember, don’t you? What did she say about Sirius and me?’

‘Erm . . .’ Peter frowned, trying to remember, which was evidently a struggle. ‘She said something about loyalty for Sirius . . . with four legs . . .’

‘A _dog?_ ’ Remus asked dryly.

Peter’s head snapped up. ‘Yeah! That’s it!’

‘And I’m sure James is a giraffe,’ Remus muttered, getting to his feet. ‘I’ve had enough of this. You’re not becoming Animagi, guys. It’s too much.’

‘No it’s not,’ Sirius said, standing up with him. ‘We want to do this.’

Remus gave him an irritable stare.

‘Oh, cut it out, Moony,’ James said. ‘You’re blowing things out of proportion. It’s going to be _fine_.’

‘No it’s not!’ Remus cried, throwing his hands in the air exasperatedly. ‘It’s _not_ fine, and for that matter, it’s _illegal!_ ’

Sirius and James shared a look.

‘All the more reason to do it then,’ Sirius said.

‘ _Sirius!_ ’

‘A deer!’

The three of them looked at Peter strangely. ‘What?’

‘James’ spirit animal was a deer, she said.’

‘Prongs,’ Sirius added. Now the incredulous looks were directed at him.

‘What?’ he asked defensively. ‘James can be Prongs. It fits, doesn’t it?’

‘What is he, a fork?’ Remus asked.

‘It’s better than Wormtail,’ Peter said.

‘And Sirius can be . . .’ James started, screwing up his face, deep in thought. ‘Dogbreath.’

‘ _I don’t think so_ ,’ Sirius said shortly.

‘Boneface?’

‘I’m not a skeleton, _Prongs_.’

‘Padfoot, then.’

‘I – hey, I don’t mind that.’

‘Padfoot it is then.’

Remus crossed his arms and groaned. ‘Are we done yet?’


	25. Year 2 - "Are We Being Overprotective?"

**_ 25 – “Are We Being Overprotective?” _ **

** James **

The Christmas holidays were an enjoyable affair, as Sirius had stayed at James’ house once again. The same routine as last year had been followed; Peter and Remus joined them on Christmas Eve for lunch, then returned to their families later in the day. Despite James’ house almost drowning in the amount of snow they got, he and Sirius bundled themselves up in multiple layers and went outside to play Quidditch regardless, and came back in hours later as it was starting to get dark, blue-lipped from the cold. His mother always made a fuss over them when she saw this, plopping them in front of the roaring fire and having a house elf bring steaming cups of hot chocolate. James certainly knew Sirius was enjoying being well-treated. It was quite obvious he wasn’t given the same love and affection in his own household. It was this fact that made James feel rather guilty; he practically lived like a king.

Wow. Did he seriously just admit that?

Erm . . .

Someone started talking, and he was snapped out of his deep . . . _pondering_.

‘James, before you go, I want to give you something.’

James and Sirius, who were both sprawled over the couches in the lounge room, looked up.

‘Dad?'

* * *

 

‘Okay, let me get this straight,’ Sirius said as they walked out of the house, trunks in front of them. ‘That’s actually an -’

‘Yup.’

‘And it will really -’

‘Well and truly.’

‘And this isn’t a -’

‘Nope.’

A grin split both of the boys’ faces as they looked over the silvery material in James’ hands. James wrapped one of the said hands in the material, and they both whooped when it disappeared, completely invisible, but still attached to his wrist.

‘Filch is going to have _fun_ this year,’ James whispered. Sirius nodded in agreement.

‘Loads.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Lily! Margaret’s coming over in ten minutes; make sure you freaks stay up in your room! And no . . . _funny stuff_!’

Lily sighed and closed her eyes. ‘ _Yes_ , Tuney!’ she shouted back, hoping that Petunia could hear her downstairs. ‘Absolutely!’

Marley, who was sitting on Lily’s bed, crossed her arms and huffed. ‘I can’t believe she’s treated you like that _all_ holidays. She’s a right cow.’

Lily shook her head slightly. ‘She’s my sister.’

‘Not a very nice sister,’ Kayla said, looking up from her book. She was sitting at the desk pushed against one wall, lounging back on the chair. ‘I honestly thought you were overdoing it when you were talking about what she was like.’

‘She didn’t _used_ to be like this,’ Lily said. ‘I mean, the last two holidays she ignored me completely, and before that, I wasn’t even at Hogwarts. She was a lot nicer then.’

Marley quirked an eyebrow. ‘I’m having a hard time believing _that_.’

‘Don’t believe it if you don’t want to.’

‘Wait . . .’ Kayla looked up from her book again. ‘We’re going in ten. We’ll have no choice. We _can’t_ stay out of Petunia’s way.’

Marley’s seemed to think about it. ‘That’s true.’

‘Anyway, on the bright side,’ the other girl continued. ‘We’re going back to school. There’s no Petunia _there_.’

Lily sighed regardless. She just wished that it wasn’t like this. She wanted to know what happened to the Petunia that always used to play with her; back when they were best friends. She wondered if it could ever be that way again.

Maybe, deep inside, her sister felt the same way too.

Marley got to her feet and kicked her trunk closed, which had been sitting wide open up against one of the walls for the majority of the holidays. Kayla’s was sitting closed next to it, and it had been packed up hours ago. Lily was yet to retrieve hers from beneath her bed.

‘Come on,’ Marley said. ‘I want to see how much I can brass Petty off.’

‘ _Marley_ ,’ Kayla groaned. ‘Not again. Please?’

Marley thought over this, then sighed. ‘Fine. But the idiot deserves whatever’s coming to her.’

Lily just rolled her eyes. She had gotten used to this already, and didn’t even bother trying to convince her friend to think otherwise anymore. Because, when it came to quite a lot of things, Marley was as stubborn as an ox.

Kayla threw her book at her. It hit Marley squarely on the head, and she yelped, whirling around. Both Kayla and Lily burst into laughter, and the other girl grumbled, muttering profanities under her breath.

‘That’s it,’ she said. ‘You’ve lost book privileges for a _month_.’ She smirked triumphantly, pulling her trunk back open and plopping the book atop the mess inside.

‘Oh _no_ ,’ Kayla said mockingly. ‘Not the books! My god, could anything be _any_ worse?’

Marley narrowed her eyes. ‘I will steal _all_ of your books. Every single one. And Lily’s, so you can’t nick any of hers.’

‘What did I ever do to you?’ Lily squawked indignantly. Kayla just crossed her arms and smirked. ‘I’d like to see you try and find them.’

Marley narrowed her eyes, an evil grin playing on her lips. ‘Oh, you’re on.’

A rather loud scuffle followed those three words. Marley dove for Kayla’s trunk, and Kayla, who reacted immediately, vaulted onto Marley’s back. Lily just backed away, wide-eyed. This was going to get _dangerous_.

Additional weight be damned, Marley flipped the latch on the trunk regardless. When it was lifted open, Kayla took advantage of this to tumble on top of her possessions, shielding them protectively. Marley ducked down instinctively to avoid any feet hitting her on the head and shielded her wildly bobbing curls with her arms, crossing them over each other. Kayla spread herself out so she had at least a limb covering every square inch of clothes, shoes, and books. She grinned triumphantly. ‘Ha!’

Marley pounced and both girls ended up rolling to the other end of the room. Lily rolled her eyes. The way they _behaved_ sometimes. But still, it was entertaining.

There was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, and Lily froze. The other two apparently failed to hear this, and when the door opened suddenly, Kayla almost punched Marley in the face. The other girl ducked to the side just in time, and they both looked up at Lily’s mother sheepishly.

‘I’m not even going to _ask_ ,’ Rose said, sounding both tired and amused. ‘I want you down in the car now, girls; we’re going.’

Marley, who was kneeling with her hands on Kayla’s shoulders, pushing the other girl into the soft, patterned carpet, flopped to the side, before rolling to her trunk on the other side of the room. ‘Yes ma’am!’

Rose shook her head incredulously and looked at the ceiling, before turning and shutting the door behind her. She was used to Marley’s insane antics but loved her regardless, and had also come to consider Kayla her “fourth” daughter. Really, with five females in the house, it was a wonder that Lily’s father hadn’t gone mad yet.

Chance, who had formerly been sleeping on Lily’s pillow, stretched and got lightly to his feet, watching Kayla and Marley, both of whom had resumed their scuffle. Lily absently scratched him behind the ears. The cat meowed and butted his head against her hand, soaking in the attention.

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes, before scooping him up and plopping him in his carrier. She zipped it up; completely ignoring the noises of irritation Chance made, and crossed the room to lug her trunk over with the other two. Finally, she moved over to the tangle of limbs formally known as her friends, and gave them a good, hard kick.

Cue the yelping.

Lily stuck her nose in the air and ignored the sounds of protest they made, and went back to the trunks. ‘We’re _going_ , if you didn’t notice, ladies. Come on. I would like to get to the train station sometime this morning.’

Marley and Kayla grumbled, but like the obedient girls they were, got to their feet and brushed themselves off before joining Lily. ‘ _Fine_.’

* * *

 

Half an hour later, the three girls were milling around Platform 9 ¾, having already passed through the barrier. The Hogwarts Express loomed in front of them.

‘Lily!’ Lily turned to see Sev hurrying through the crowds of people towards her. Marley made a noise of irritability and tugged Kayla away. Lily ignored this, as she usually did, and instead ran to greet her friend. ‘Hey!’

‘How were your holidays?’ Sev asked, hugging her.

‘Pretty good, actually. Yours?’

Severus’ face darkened slightly, and Lily began wishing she hadn’t asked. Oh. Right. She remembered now.

‘Were they yelling again?’ she asked quietly. He nodded mutely, then after a short moment put on a forced, but happier face. ‘Come on. Let’s go find a compartment.’

Lily looked back around, then remembered her other two friends had already left. ‘Okay.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Marley shook her head as they walked away. ‘Why the hell does she hang around with him?’

Kayla chewed her lip, unable to come up with a reasonable answer on the spot. In all honesty, she really didn’t like the Snape boy either. There was just something about him that wasn’t right.

Marley spread her arms out, palms facing upwards. ‘See! That just reinforces my point.’

‘He doesn’t exactly seem like the most pleasant of people,’ the brown-head murmured.

‘That’s because he’s _not_ ,’ Marley said pointedly. ‘He’s just as bad as any other Slytherin. He’s only ever nice to Lily, and I know someday that’s going to change as well.’ She turned to Kayla, actually seeming a bit anxious. ‘I don’t want him to hurt her.’

Kayla nodded. ‘Don’t want _anyone_ to hurt her.’

There was a long moment of silence before Marley finally popped it. ‘Are we being overprotective?’

Kayla gave a short laugh. ‘ _No_.’

Marley made a satisfied noise and nodded. ‘Thought so.’

‘Where are we going?’ They were both apparently wandering around on the platform, with no purpose whatsoever. Or, no purpose that Kayla knew about, anyway.

‘Looking for _real_ men,’ Marley responded. Kayla quirked an eyebrow, then her question was answered as four people came into view. ‘Rem!’

All four of the Marauders looked around, and Remus grinned. Hugs were shared all around because, hey, girls like hugs. Well, Kayla and Marley did, anyway.

‘Holidays?’ James asked, grinning broadly. Marley grinned back at him. ‘Not too shabby.’

Sirius poked his head over James’ shoulder, looking at Kayla. ‘You’ve got that cat, don’t you?’

Kayla just laughed as Chance started meowing from the depths of his cage. Sirius groaned audibly. ‘If you’re staying with us, he’d better not attack me!’

Kayla rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not you he hates, it’s Remus.’

Remus bristled. ‘Hey!’

‘I also sometimes wonder _why_ that is.’

‘ _Hey!_ ’

* * *

 

** Remus **

Over the course of the train ride it was pretty uneventful, however there was a good five minutes of entertainment provided when Chance tried to get on Sirius’ lap again. Quite frankly, Remus was starting to wonder if the poor cat would ever recover from that much screaming. No, he wasn’t even going to sugar coat it. It was screaming.

When they trolley lady turned up, there was also a scuffle as Kayla dumped large amounts of purchased chocolates and lollies onto the spare seat, mainly in a desperate attempt to get the chocolate frog cards. Remus wondered if _anyone_ was going to recover from that one.

Seriously, the friends he _had_ . . . Hogwarts really ought to be a school for the insane and chocolate crazy rather than witches and wizards. It was a more fitting concept.

_Hogwarts . . . the school where everyone was mad . . ._

Remus laughed inwardly to himself.

His eyes wandered over the others. The topic of Animagi had not been brought up again since before the holidays, and Remus had still been desperately attempting to convince them out of it. James and Sirius had become a bit brassed off, saying ‘we want to _help_ you, you prat. Can you at least be grateful?’ and Remus had backed up a little, as they were pretty riled up. But they were absolutely insane. They couldn’t go through with this. The worst bit was that they were acting so bloody happy-go-lucky about it all. He could tell nothing good was going to come out of it.

But, Remus continued as though it hadn’t been bothering him, and that he hadn’t given it any consideration since. It seemed to have worked, and (he was _really_ hoping here) they may have forgotten about it. The rest of the Marauders weren’t the brightest of people in regards to remembering stuff. So maybe that topic was disappearing underneath all of the troubles of life.

Maybe.


	26. Year 2 - Windows

**_ 26 – Windows _ **

** Lily **

Quidditch. _Why_ did it exist, again? Lily felt she would never get a good enough answer. And the worst bit? _Everyone_ seemed to be obsessed with it.

Marley jabbered on and on about one of the matches that Lily really didn’t care about, however she pretended to show some interest by nodding and saying ‘mm hmm,’ like she generally would. Kayla just shook her head as she noticed this, looking faintly amused. _She_ knew Lily didn’t understand a word Marley was saying.

Though, Lily supposed it wasn’t like they had anything else to do. The three of them were wandering about on the first floor, taking in the breeze that was wafting through the open windows. The weather was warming up rather quickly this year; the transition from winter to spring was happening in a matter of weeks.

‘Anyway, so I did this really awesome save; you were watching that part, yeah? But the point is -’

‘Greetings, ladies!’

Who else could be expected at this point in time other than the Marauders? No one.

Lily groaned audibly. Marley just glared.

‘James! I was _talking!_ ’

Potter just shrugged offhandedly. ‘You talk too much.’

‘Prat.’

He rolled his eyes and laughed slightly. This was the point where Sirius shoved his way in and started talking to Marley instead. As of this development, Potter turned to Lily.

‘Nice day, eh Evans?’

Lily just sighed. ‘What do you _want_ , Potter?’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Am I not allowed to talk about the weather, now?’

She huffed. ‘No, because you’re always getting at something else. Never the weather. Besides, there are more entertaining people to talk to, are there not?’

He shrugged again. ‘Depends on what you mean by “entertaining”.’

Lily sighed. ‘As in: not harassing me because you seem to find it bloody hilarious.’

He cracked a grin. ‘Ah. But cut me some slack, Evans; seeing you go purple in the face is one of the best sights around here.’ She glared at him.

‘You’re not doing yourself any favours, _Potter_.’

‘Aren’t I?’

‘No.’

‘Shame, that.’

‘Oh, I’m _sure_.’

He continued to smirk in that all-knowing way of his, wiggling his eyebrows at Lily. She just rolled her eyes. That caused him to burst into laughter.

Psh. As _if_ he found her funny. He just wanted to be a prat.

‘You’re an odd one, Evans,’ he said.

She poked her tongue at him. Immature, yes. Unhelpful, yes. But in regards to satisfaction? She got plenty.

Potter just went right on ahead and poked his tongue back at her. Damn it. That boy could have a cocky response to just about _anything_.  

‘So, about this book -’

‘Nuh uh uh! No backing out now. It’s either that book or no book.’

He groaned. ‘But come _on!_ It’s _huge!_ ’

‘You got yourself into it. It’s your fault.’

‘Why don’t you call it off, then?’ he asked. ‘There’s nothing in it for you. Unless . . .’ He trailed off and a cheeky grin crossed his boyish features. ‘Unless you _want_ to kiss me?’

Lily cringed in revulsion. ‘I do _not_!’

‘You sure about that?’ He was openly laughing now, and Lily was desperate not to flush. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking she actually _liked_ him.

‘I am perfectly sure,’ she replied stiffly. ‘Why would I want to in the first place?’

‘Well,’ he said as they rounded a corner, ‘I’m very kissable.’

She shot him an incredulous look. ‘How would _you_ know?’

He gave her a jaunty grin. ‘I just do. Anyway, on with my question, what’s in this for you?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Why don’t you just cancel the bet?’

She raised her chin. ‘Because _I_ don’t drop out of bets, James Potter. _You_ can go right ahead and do that, but I’m not a coward.’

Potter spluttered. ‘Coward? It’s to do with reading a book, Evans!’

She smirked. ‘And kissing me. _Surely_ you’re not chickening out, Potter?’

‘No! I just . . . it’s a bloody big book, okay?’

‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll get through it,’ Lily said, giggling. ‘You know, if you ever _start_ it.’

Potter pointed a finger at her. ‘I will get you to kiss me, Evans, if it is the _last_ thing I do. Got it? _The last!_ ’

‘Somebody’s desperate.’

He blinked as the statement didn’t initially sink in. Then he went slightly pink. ‘That’s not what I meant. You see,’ he said, now grinning, ‘if _you_ have to kiss me, you will never be able to go through the rest of your life without being able to say you’ve _never_ kissed me.’ He smirked. ‘You can put it on your résumé: Officially snogged James Potter. That’ll get you in _anywhere_.’

Lily shook her head, her nose wrinkling. This was so _gross_. She was talking to a boy – _Potter_ of all people – about _snogging_. ‘If anything, that will make sure I _don’t_ get the job.’

Potter put a hand over his heart. ‘Why, Evans, you wound me. _Ever_ so terribly.’

She snorted. ‘Good. _Someone_ has to deal with that overlarge ego you have.’

‘Would someone please tell me what ego even _means?_ ’

Lily paused and turned to face him, halting the group’s steady progression down the corridor. ‘You’re asking me what _ego_ means,’ she said slowly. Potter shrugged.

‘Well, no one’s bothered to tell me, because you’re all a bunch of inconsiderate sods.’

‘Love you too, Prongs,’ Sirius said dryly. Lily spared him an incredulous glance. _Prongs? What?_ Was Potter some sort of . . . fork or something?

There really was no point in questioning it.

‘ _Sirius,’_ Remus hissed, suddenly looking rather alarmed. Sirius rolled his eyes.

‘Shove off, Moony.’

Remus growled irritably and looked away, muttering something about ‘not having anything to do with this.’

‘I’m not going to ask,’ Marley said, shaking her head incredulously.

Lily turned back to Potter. ‘You want to learn about egos, you say?’

In answer to his hesitant nod, she pushed up her sleeves, smirking. He eyed her as though he expected her to lash out and slaughter him at any second.

‘Well, my student, an ego is something more commonly known as a sense of one’s own importance. _You_ , as an example, think quite highly of yourself.’ Her eyes narrowed in humour as his words registered. It took at least three seconds until he opened his mouth to object. Before he could, however, Lily put a finger to his lips, shushing him.

‘There will be no denial here, student. The first step to understanding the concept of ego is accepting that you have a bucket load of it, then some.’

‘But – I – _why are you calling me student?_ ’

‘It’s become her new purpose in life,’ Marley interjected, grinning. Lily shot her a warning look, before resuming her lecture.

‘An ego can define one’s impact on others around them. If they have a large ego, they will most likely get the common, household title of “prat”.’

She paused to let the words sink in.

‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ Potter asked pointedly. Lily shrugged.

‘Whatever you want it to imply,’ she said cheekily. He rolled his eyes.

‘That doesn’t answer anything.’

‘Who said it was meant to?’

He grumbled. ‘Quit the wise-cracks, Evans. Is that what the word actually means?’

‘Is the world coming to an end?’ Lily posed in mock-horror. ‘James Potter is _not_ amused?’

There was a dramatic gasp from the entire group (minus Potter) at this.

‘Should we expect the apocalypse?’ Peter asked, wide eyed. Lily gave him an all-knowing nod.

‘I think so, Peter, I think so.’

‘If the apocalypse is coming,’ Potter said, ‘why are we all standing here? And for that matter, why is Evans not declaring her eternal love for me as our imminent death approaches?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘In your dreams, Potter.’

He wriggled his eyebrows, grinning. ‘You sure about that?’

She stared at him. ‘Does that even make sense?’

He paused, his brow furrowing as he thought it over. The long silence confirmed that, indeed, it didn’t make sense at all.

‘Thought so,’ Lily finally said after a long minute, grinning triumphantly. Potter raised a finger, shaking it at her condescendingly.

‘This doesn’t mean anything, Evans. You may know a bit more than me . . . grammatically, but with everything else –’ He puffed out his chest. ‘-I’m superior!’

She quirked an eyebrow. ‘Highly doubtable, Potter. Apart from Quidditch, which doesn’t count, you have very limited talent.’

Potter’s eyes went wide as he started laughing disbelievingly, and Sirius jumped in to respond to this jibe.

‘Ay, no!’ he bellowed, waving his arms about wildly. ‘My Jamsey boy is very skilled, Red! Back up, now!’

Lily scoffed, and Sirius hollered some more, ranting on about Potter’s “manly traits” that she really couldn’t care less about. Though, it was very amusing to see him all riled up.

‘Manly,’ she sniggered. ‘Oh, I’m _sure_.’

‘You better be,’ Sirius said, giving her an evaluating look. She just burst into laughter.

‘I’m _manly_ ,’ Potter cried, looking affronted. ‘I’m the manliest of the manly!’

‘And your voice hasn’t cracked yet.’

That stopped him in his tracks. All four of the Marauders blinked as they seemingly realised this. Marley rolled her eyes through intense cackling.

‘You hadn’t noticed that before?’ she asked, wiping away tears of laughter. ‘You’re still awfully high-pitched for a manly bloke, James.’

‘I – I’m – _high pitched?_ ’

Sirius burst into laughter, and Marley whirled on him. ‘You’re not any better, bucko! I reckon you could hit high soprano notes easily too!’

‘Shh,’ Kayla managed through laughing. ‘You’ll damage their “manly” pride.’

‘Psh. I bet I could put a chink in your womanly pride, too, Evans,’ Potter said, regaining some composure.

Lily crossed her arms, challenging him with her eyes. ‘Oh?’

‘Yeah. What was that thing Marley taught us about a couple of weeks back that turns the lot of you really surly with some other details that left me and Padfoot permanently scarred?’

Lily pushed him out the window.

She _actually_ shoved him out of the window. It was there, sitting wide open, and she took her opportunity while it was there.

And she would have celebrated her miniature victory if he hadn’t pulled her with him.

‘Argh!’

Though this detail would most certainly be altered in any retellings later on, that didn’t change that Lily clung to him as they tumbled onto the grassy slope of the hill below.

Well, she had been expecting some dramatic “rolling down the side of a mountain scene” and had prepared herself for the worst. Was that really so bad?

But all the same, she had hung onto James Potter like her life had depended on it. Which, she had thought it did at the time. But if she admitted that, she knew she would never hear the end of it.

When they both had finally stopped moving, James was lying on his back in the grass, and Lily was sprawled on top of him. Her head was buried in the crook of his neck – _completely_ unintentional on her part. When she realised this, she jerked her head upwards, accidentally smashing into his nose while doing so. Potter yelped while she apologised by force of habit, before realising what she was doing and hurriedly stopping herself. She looked up slightly to see Potter massaging his nose and watching her through slightly narrowed hazel eyes full of humour. Lily looked right back at him for a very long time.

Then she yelped, rolling off him and getting to her feet. As she brushed herself off, she could hear commotion in the corridor they had just graciously exited.

Potter burst into laughter, getting to his feet for himself. ‘Did you plan that, Evans?’

She glared at him. ‘You were the one that pulled me with you!’

He grinned, revelling in her embarrassment. ‘You enjoyed every second of it.’

Lily flushed to the roots of her hair and he burst into laughter.

‘Damn you, Potter.’


	27. Year 2 - The Flying Pigs Of Doom

**_ 27 – The Flying Pigs of Doom _ **

** Kayla **

‘A fifth year just told me something rather interesting,’ Kayla announced, sitting herself down in one of the armchairs in the common room. Lily, Marley and Remus looked up.

‘Oh?’ Lily asked.

Kayla nodded. ‘Apparently the Defence Against the Dark Arts job is jinxed. No teacher has ever stayed for longer than a year.’

Remus raised his eyebrows. ‘I thought it was just chance that Professor Hayward contracted the dragon pox.’

She shook her head. ‘Something had to occur to cause him to leave. And then something will happen to Professor Nicholson . . . or maybe she will just retire, and then next year we’ll have someone new.’

‘That’s rubbish,’ Marley said bluntly. ‘Why would a _teaching position_ of all things be jinxed? Aren’t there more interesting things to meddle with?’

Kayla shrugged. ‘Maybe someone got really brassed off that they didn’t get the job when they applied once. Apparently it’s been like this for years.’

‘Who told you that?’ Lily asked.

‘That Ravenclaw prefect who offered to help you with your Transfiguration homework the other day. I mean, it would be harder to believe if a Slytherin said that, but she was nice enough. Besides, the older students would be more on top of the gossip mill than we are.’

‘I’m just surprised nobody’s mentioned it before,’ Remus said, scratching above his eyebrow. Kayla just shrugged.

‘They probably have, but we’ve just been dense enough not to realise it.’

‘That’s a rather interesting concept though,’ Lily said. ‘If the job is supposedly jinxed, we won’t get to know a teacher for very long before they’re gone again. I can’t say that will be too helpful in regards to our academics.’

‘What do you mean?’ Remus asked.

‘If you have the same teacher for a subject over the years, they will get to know where you struggle and where you excel. If they can do that, then they will be able to help you, and also get a rather good idea about what to expect from you. But if they disappear just as they’re getting to know you, it’s like constantly starting that process all over again each year.’

‘I don’t think it will be taking an extremely serious toll,’ Marley said. ‘All they have to do is chalk and talk. Then if you’re still at a loss, you copy off someone smart.’

Lily rolled her eyes. ‘That’s not going to benefit you _later_ , Marley.’

Marley just shrugged. ‘I’ll take what I can get while I can.’

‘You’re hopeless,’ Remus said. She flashed a grin at him.

‘I know.’

‘I think that’s a universal agreement, actually,’ Kayla said. ‘We all reckon that you’re hopeless, and we certainly know that you’re blunt enough towards yourself to see that.’

Marley stuck up a hand. ‘Honey, I’m blunt about everything from night to day.’

‘And we also know that when you start saying “honey” we should be worried, because you sound an awful lot like _Claire_ ,’ Lily muttered in a sing-song voice.

Marley froze. ‘I’m sorry, _what_ did you just say?’

She grinned at her. ‘You know _exactly_ what I just said, Marls.’

‘Yes,’ Marley said stiffly, ‘and I’m going to overlook that moment of insanity and pretend it never happened. You’re lucky that you’re pretty, Lil.’

‘It seems so.’

* * *

Later in the Great Hall at dinner, the bickering had failed to subside and Remus had left the group, he had become that worn out by it. Lily and Marley had progressed into debating the proper meaning of insanity, and Kayla only contributed when she felt like it, occasionally sending the argument into a backwards spin and leaving the pair of them confused. Really, when she could cause verbal destruction like that, Kayla knew she was on top.

The two of them hadn’t even touched their plates. Apparently, the topic was so intense that eating wasn’t a current priority. Kayla, on the other hand, felt considerably differently in regards to that, and gave herself a hearty serving of shepherd’s pie and steamed vegetables.

Just as she speared a piece of broccoli on the end of her fork, she heard a slight crackling sound. She narrowed her eyes and tried to concentrate on it over the din, but couldn’t hear anything afterwards.

Kayla chewed her lip for a moment, then shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

. . .

Ha. _Never_ assume that at this school.

There was another crackle – much, _much_ louder this time – that caused everyone to whip around in their seats and look towards the door. There was complete and utter silence as everyone waited with bated breath.

With an ear splitting squeal, several giant pigs zoomed in through the doorway, all held aloft with white, feathery wings. They were leaving behind a trail of glittery, crackling dust that settled down on the astounded students, evidently the source of the noise beforehand.

That was when realisation finally settled in and everyone started screaming.

The pigs made horrific sounding noises as they shot around the room, bowling over students and teachers alike. Those who were smart enough to do so dove underneath the tables, watching the chaos from safety. Kayla was in that group, and had to pull Lily and Marley with her because they were still so absorbed in their discussion.

‘What – huh – _what the hell is that?_ ’

Marley screamed as a pig shot past when she was only half under the table. Then, as though it had glue on the bottom of its hooves or something, her back was suddenly stuck to it. The pig zipped off high into the air with a screeching, wildly flailing Marlene McKinnon.

Hell really was going to break loose now.

‘ _James Potter, you are a DEAD MAN!’_ Kayla could see she was struggling in vain to get her wand out of her shorts pocket, while also searching around for James.

Lily got up onto the bench and rolled up her sleeves while retrieving her own wand in order to help Marley. Kayla looked over at the doors to the Great Hall and saw three out of the four Marauders laughing their heads off.

Where was Peter?

That was soon answered. Sirius pulled Peter from behind the doorway and shoved him into the hall.

Kayla nearly spat out her pumpkin juice.

He was dressed from head to toe in a pink jumpsuit with white, feathery wings glued to his back. It also appeared that a bucket of glitter had been dumped on his head, completely covering his blonde hair.

And he did _not_ look happy.

‘Fly, Wormtail, fly!’ Sirius cried, giving his wand a flick. Peter yelped as he started levitating in the air and joining the pigs in their rampage around the hall. He flailed about wildly, suddenly looking very alarmed about how high he was in the air.

Kayla turned her attention back to Lily, who was still trying to rescue Marley.

‘Any luck?’

‘I don’t know what sort of sticking charm they used!’ she cried, frustrated.

‘That can’t be right. _You’re_ the Charms whiz!’

‘Well I don’t know what they did!’

‘Right. That’s it.’ Kayla climbed on top of the table, and waited for a pig to do another round. When one dove down low, she sprung onto its back with all of the force she could muster.

She yelped when the motion almost carried her too far, but when she latched her arms around the animal’s neck, she was able to keep herself on.

‘Gah!’ The pig veered suddenly as it changed course, and Kayla very nearly flew off again. She looked over at the teachers’ table to see if they were making any effort to help the situation. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout and Nicholson were darting around, making the pigs disappear into thin air when they passed by. Professor Dumbledore was still sitting in his seat and inspecting his pumpkin pie with a rather keen interest, but Kayla could see the amusement twinkling in his eyes all the same.

Her pig shot past Marley’s, but she didn’t realise it until the other girl was half way to the other end of the room. Kayla groaned.

‘ _Merlin_ , which of those idiots came up with _this?_ ’ Her money was on Sirius. He always felt the need to make things over the top. And sparkly, for that matter.

There was a scream as Marley’s pig suddenly disappeared into nothingness, and she started plummeting to the ground. Flitwick waved his wand and her trip slowed, allowing her to gracefully fall to the ground.

Kayla however, was still on her pig. And she knew it would be a long time before hers was taken away for her.

Right, she was going to have to get off herself.

The pig shot up almost all the way to the starry, cloudless ceiling, then dove vertically downwards. If Kayla was right about what it was going to do, then this was a good opportunity to abandon ship.

Right when it seemed as though the pig were about to smash into the table below it, Kayla unsteadily adjusted herself so she was squatting on the animal’s back.

Three . . .

Two . . .

One . . .

She sprung off right when the pig pulled out of its dive, tumbling into a roll right on top of the roast beef platter. Her foot landed in a bowl of chips, and one unfortunate hand went straight into the shepherd’s pie.

_Nice._

She closed her eyes to stop the world from spinning as much as it was.

‘POTTER! BLACK! LUPIN! PETTIGREW! TWO WEEKS DETENTION, ALL OF YOU!’

There was one last _poof_ as the remainder of the pigs disappeared, and everyone burst into laughter at the cocky grins James, Sirius and Remus were wearing. Peter had only just returned from his flight around the room, still in his “pig” costume. He still looked thoroughly disgruntled at being covered in glitter.

Kayla let her head loll back, exhaling slowly.

She was never eating pork again.

* * *

 

 Things didn’t properly calm down until later that night, when Marley had finished screaming her head off at James for getting her stuck to a flying pig and gone to bed. Lily had accompanied her, and Kayla was the only one out of the three still awake.

‘Hey.’

Kayla looked up from the intense sketching she was doing to regard Remus.

‘Hi, you prat. Got any flying pigs on you this time?’

He raised his hands then made a show of emptying out his pockets, grinning goofily the whole time.

‘Doesn’t look like it.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, _ha ha_.’

‘What are you doing?’

Kayla returned her attention to her drawing, but still answered him.

‘Lily gave me a polaroid and asked me if I could make a portrait out of it for her. I said I’d give it a shot.’

Remus sat down before the coffee table with her, his eyes scanning over the drawing. ‘That’s really good. I mean _really_ good.’

She blushed slightly. ‘Thanks.’

Remus pointed to the small picture sitting lightly on the paper. ‘May I?’

At her consent he picked it up and started comparing the drawing to the real picture. It was Lily, Marley and Kayla, all standing in front of a tree with their arms over each other’s shoulders, grinning.

‘It’s a cool picture,’ he said. ‘And you’ve really got an eye for these small details.’

‘Thanks,’ she said again. ‘I need your opinion on something, though.’

He nodded. ‘Fire away.’

‘Coloured pencil or black and white?’

‘Hmm.’ He thought over it for a moment. ‘Well, I do like black and white drawings, but I reckon it would look cool if you did it in colour, because of the hair. Lily’s is really red, you see, and I think that would be fun to do. And Marley’s is this mix of browns and golds, and if you did that just right, it would work too. And then there’s yours. It’s really brown, but where the sun hits it -’ He pointed to a spot on the picture. ‘- it’s white – almost silver, actually.’

‘So you want me to do colour because of hair,’ Kayla said, looking faintly amused. ‘You’re such a _girl_ , Rem.’

He shook his head. ‘No. I’m just giving you a reason to do it in colour. You wanted my opinion, so I gave you it.’

‘That’s true. Maybe I should ask for your thoughts more often.’

He cracked a grin. ‘Maybe you should.’

 


	28. Year 2 - Lettuce

**_ 28 –Lettuce _ **

** Remus **

Remus shivered as a breeze filtered through the numerous gaps in the walls. He had stripped himself down only minutes ago, and was waiting for the moon to rise.

He paced anxiously around the room. He needed to distract himself.

He started thinking about the rest of the Marauders and what act of idiocy they would be up to as of right now. Pumpkins, maybe. Sirius was partial to pumpkin related pranks. Or perhaps James would be hassling Lily, in another attempt to humiliate her. Peter would be tagging along in whatever they were doing, and mainly being the glue to hold it all together.

He wished he were with them as of right now.

Remus stared down at the grimy floor. Blood, as always, was splattered and smeared on the boards, and the layer of dust and mould that mixed in with it didn’t create a pleasant look.

Just looking at it made him feel sick.

What would the girls be doing? Homework, most likely. Lily and Kayla would have their heads buried in their textbooks, referencing some fact or another, while Marley moaned and groaned about “stupid teachers and their stupid essays”. She was a lot like Sirius in that respect.

He coughed suddenly, and he could feel the blood flying from his mouth. It dotted the wall, and as he saw it he collapsed to his knees.

The spasms had long since become routine for him, and he felt that he was building up a tolerance – however small – to the pain.

Remus’ eyes wandered over to the passageway that led down to the Whomping Willow. Damn it. He should have pushed the dresser in front of it.

Just as he started dragging himself across the floor to do just that, his mind was wiped blank of all emotion and thought.

* * *

 

** James **

‘Giant lettuces, exploding lettuces, _sparkly_ lettuces, how about sparkly lettuces, Prongs? I want sparkly lettuces . . .’

‘No, Sirius. No sparkles. I say exploding lettuces.’

‘Guys, shush. I think Filch is coming.’

All three boys fell silent as they flattened themselves against the wall beneath the Invisibility Cloak. Indeed, there was the sound of Filch’s trademark shuffling footsteps steadily approaching. Purely out of habit, James put a hand over Peter’s mouth.

The caretaker made his way down the corridor, broom in hand and eyes searching around keenly. Just as he passed James caught a tiny bit of his almost inaudible mutterings: ‘. . . catch those sneaky brats and have ‘em strung up by their ankles . . .’

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t heard it all before.

Just when he was about to disappear around the corner, Sirius sneezed. James’ eyes widened, and he would have cursed had Filch not been _right_ there.

Filch jerked upright and whirled about, his beady eyes scanning around him, passing the boys multiple times. He narrowed his eyes and shuffled forward.

‘Come out, come out, little beasties . . .’ he hissed. ‘Then you’ll be lashed as you should for being out of bed.’

James then got an idea. He took his hand from Peter’s mouth and put a finger to his own lips, silently drawing his wand from his pocket. Then, with a quietly muttered _Expelliarmus_ , he flicked it at a suit of armour a long way down the corridor. Filch swung around to see it topple over, and with a growl, stalked in that direction.

The three boys then tore off in the opposite direction, straight for one of the passageways that led outside.

* * *

 

‘Can you believe that – he just – he -’ Sirius burst into a fit of laughter as they ambled down the grassy slope.

‘He’s so stupid,’ Peter added. ‘I thought it was really obvious what James did.’

‘Hey!’ James said indignantly. ‘I saved our skins, thank you very much.’

‘Yes, yes, well done, Prongsie,’ Sirius said. ‘Would you like a complimentary medal?’

James puffed out his cheeks, thinking about it. ‘Make it a blue ribbon.’

Sirius pointed a finger at him. ‘Now _that_ , mate, is over the line. I’m sorry, but it’s just not happening. Too much to ask for.’

James gasped dramatically. ‘ _No!_ ’

‘Come on,’ Peter said. ‘We should do this before daylight hits.’

‘Okay then. But we need to decide – sparkly lettuces or exploding lettuces?’

Peter turned a funny shade of red. ‘Exploding lettuces. No way we’re doing sparkly ones - I’m still scarred from that pig incident.’

‘Aww, come on, Wormtail! Lighten up! It was all in good humour.’

‘Good humour,’ Peter said sarcastically. ‘Don’t make me laugh.’

James waved his arms about. ‘Wormy, mate, we all know you’ve had secret ambitions to become a flying piece of pork. So we helped you along there.’

‘Yes, but was the glitter really necessary?’

Sirius grinned. ‘Glitter good. Padfoot like sparkly.’

‘That’s not really helping anything, Neanderthal,’ James said.

‘No. Padfoot smart caveman. Ug -’ He pointed to James. ‘- stupid one.’

‘Was that supposed to be an insult?’ James inquired mildly. ‘Because it failed horrendously.’

Sirius shook his head. ‘No use big words around Padfoot.’

James smirked and leaned in, so both of them were nose-to-nose. ‘Does Padfoot understand _idiot_?’

There was a long moment of silence. Then Sirius shook his head.

James rolled his eyes and straightened up. ‘Let’s just pretend that’s had the desired effect, shall we?’

The other boy cracked a grin, knowing that he had won.

A long, lingering howl could be heard from a long distance further down the grounds, and the three of them halted, looking at each other.

‘Moony,’ James muttered. The other two nodded.

‘Poor bloke,’ Sirius said.

‘At least there’s no chance of running into him. He’d be locked up in that shack as of now.’

‘Mmm,’ Sirius said. ‘But I think we should finish up as soon as possible.’

James nodded. The sun would be coming up any minute now – they had to get back before they were seen in daylight and caught.

‘So full steam ahead,’ Peter said, and at those words, the three of them sprinted down the slope, tripping over their own feet in their haste as they made a beeline for Hagrid’s garden.

James pushed open the wooden gate with a quiet creak, and the three of them filed inside.

‘Right, Pete,’ Sirius said, ‘hand me that bag.’

Peter passed over a small rucksack that had been slung over his shoulders and Sirius opened it, pulling out a ziplock bag filled with Zonko’s Miniature Explosive Dungbombs (™), and sticking his other hand out for the pocket knife James had been carrying.

‘Wormtail, you be the lookout,’ James said, passing Sirius the tool and grabbing another one of his own. Peter nodded and stood back up, head a-swivel as he dove straight into playing his part.  

Using the blade of the knifes they were holding, James and Sirius carefully made small holes near the bases of the lettuces sitting in a wheelbarrow, ready to be taken up for the house elves to use later that day. They knew for a fact that at dinner, they liked to sit an entire lettuce on a plate for students to peel off leaves as they pleased. Combined with miniature dungbombs wedged in them . . . this was going to be hilarious.

Then they both picked a small, fingernail sized dungbomb out of the bag and wedged it as far in to the hole as they could without setting it off. It took little under half an hour to get through the entire stack.

The sun was just starting to peak at the horizon now, the moon was close to dipping out of sight, and the boys knew they had to take off. Sirius hurriedly crammed all of the supplies together and shoved them in the bag before dumping it on Peter’s back again while James piled all of the lettuces back in the wheelbarrow. Sirius then picked the Invisibility cloak off the ground from where it had been tossed, and the three of them slipped back under it.

‘Well done, soldiers,’ James said, grinning.

‘Aye, aye,’ Sirius responded.

The three of them chatted amiably and roughhoused on the way back up to the castle, shoving each other about and catching them in headlocks.

‘Aww, come on Padfoot,’ James moaned as he struggled to detach himself from Sirius iron grip. ‘Just lemme -’

He broke off as the sound of a strangled, pained whine came to his notice, and stood straight up, Sirius’ headlock be damned. ‘What was that?’

Peter stopped. ‘I heard it too.’

Sirius paused. ‘What?’

There was another yelp, sounding as though it was coming from somewhere in the Forbidden Forest nearby. Sirius tried to brush it off. ‘It’s probably just something living in there -’

‘Yeah, but it’s hurt,’ James said, stepping out from under the cloak and striding forward.

‘Prongs!’ Sirius hissed. ‘Wait up!’ He also tossed the material from over his head and went to follow James. From what James heard, Peter was also attempting to hurry after them.

They entered the shadowy coolness of the forest, looking around for what had caused the noise. At the sound of another whimper, they whirled around and started running in that direction, skidding to a stop at the base of a tree.

‘Moony?’ James whispered.

He knew that the moon had just slipped out of sight mere seconds ago, because Remus was sprawled at the base of the tree, naked and covered in so much blood that James wanted to cringe.

Sirius cursed softly and dropped to the unconscious boy’s side, putting a hand to his forehead. He looked up at James.

‘He’s hurt. Really bad.’

‘I know,’ James muttered.

‘We need to get him back to the castle.’

James nodded mutely, before looking imploringly at Peter. They both kneeled down next to Sirius and helped him lift Remus up, evenly spreading the weight (though there wasn’t much) between themselves.

‘Do you think he’s lost too much blood?’ Peter wondered after a few minutes, just as they were emerging on the outskirts of the forest.

James shrugged. ‘This much damage looks like a frequent occurrence. I mean, there must be some blood replenishing action going on underneath all of this. That’s why he hasn’t . . . died, yet.’

‘Shortie would flip if she saw him like this,’ Sirius muttered.

‘Then we won’t tell her,’ James said flatly. ‘The girl’s enough of a mother hen as it is.’

‘Enough of a mother hen within reason,’ Peter said.

James gave half a shrug. ‘Fine. But she’s not going to know until Remus gives the ok.’

The said boy gave a pained groan, his face screwing up in a grimace.

‘Shoot.’ James stopped abruptly, and the other two followed in suit. ‘Are we hurting him?’

Sirius put a hand to an open gash on the side of his torso. ‘This looks like the worst of it, and it’s clotting. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, though.’

James chewed his lip. ‘We need to get him up there faster. The trip up all of those stairs won’t do him any good.’

They started walking again, debating ideas on how to overcome this problem. The front doors to the castle had opened with the coming of daylight, and they were close to that point now. Just as they were nearing the top of the grassy slope, brisk, resounding footsteps could be heard from within the castle, drawing closer.

The three of them hastily set Remus down in the grass and set about the task of extracting the Invisibility Cloak from inside the rucksack on Peter’s back. The steps were getting closer and closer, and James was starting to panic a little. If a student found Remus like this . . .

With a noise of triumph, James finally tugged the silvery material from out of the bag and slipped under it. Sirius and Peter hastened to join him, and seconds before they got Remus beneath it, the footsteps’ owner appeared.

Madam Pomfrey made a horrified sound at the sight of the blood-covered boy lying right outside the front doors, and hurried over to him.

‘How did you get out?’ she muttered, looking anxious. Sparing a quick look around her, and her eyes passing straight through the other three Marauders, she summoned a stretcher and levitated Remus on to it. She flicked her wand again and a white sheet settled itself over him, but blood quickly seeped through. With one final wave, the matron turned and hurried inside, the stretcher rising into the air and following behind her.

The other three boys stood there in silence for a moment.

‘I suppose she has to go down there to get him every time, the morning after,’ Sirius finally said. ‘But what was he doing out on the grounds?’

‘I think he might have busted out,’ James said, voicing his suspicions and feeling his brow crease into a frown.

‘Uh oh,’ Peter murmured.

* * *

 

Later that day, just after breakfast, the three of them made a trip up to the Hospital Wing to visit Remus. Madam Pomfrey was well aware that the three of them knew about Remus’ “condition”, and let them in without another word.

She had cleaned him up since they last saw him. The fresh cuts on his face had healed over, with the aid of magic, no doubt, and there was bandaging on his right arm. The rest of the damage was concealed beneath the blankets on his bed, and the pair of pyjamas he was now wearing.

Remus was awake, sitting up and nibbling at a piece of toast he was holding in his left hand. He looked up at his friends’ entrance.

‘Hi,’ he said after swallowing the meagre portion he had just bitten off. They returned his greeting and parked themselves in chairs that had taken up a permanent residence around his bed (James reckoned it was reserved especially for Remus), and Sirius nabbed a slice of toast sitting on the stack before their friend. He unashamedly tore into it, inhaling the entire thing within a matter of seconds.

‘So . . . do you know what happened last night?’ James asked.

Remus paled, as though he had heard those words before. He seemed to have difficulty swallowing, and started choking after a few seconds. Sirius thumped him on the back until he recovered.

‘I . . . what?’ he asked, now visibly white.

James shrugged. ‘We don’t know the details, but you were on the grounds.’ He watched Remus’ expression relax slightly as he took in those words, before continuing. ‘We found you.’

Remus frowned. ‘What?’

‘You were in the forest,’ Sirius said. ‘We were returning from our epic mission and found you. I thought you said that you stayed in the Shrieking Shack at this end of the month.’

Remus nodded earnestly. ‘I _do_. I just . . . I forgot to move the dresser in front of the exit this time. So . . .’ He took an unsteady breath. ‘I obviously got out.’

‘So that was a one-time thing,’ James said. Remus nodded again, but looked slightly depressed.

Despite their attempts, Remus didn’t really cheer up for the rest of the day. Nothing could budge the cloud of guilt hovering over him. That was, until dinner time, when the unsuspecting lettuce lovers started to help themselves to some dinner. After that turn of events, James reckoned he had never seen Remus laugh so much.


	29. Year 2 - Valentine's Day

**_ 29 – Valentine’s Day _ **

** Marlene **

‘Up, Black, _up!_ ’

‘Mgnef . . .’

‘Psh. I have _parcels_ for you.’

One of Sirius’ eyes popped open, and he surveyed Marley with slight interest. ‘Oh?’

‘Mmm hmm.’ She plopped herself on the end of his bed and promptly dumped all of the wrapped gifts in her arms on top of his legs. ‘It’s Valentine’s Day, and, of course, I took the liberty to double check that nothing was spiked with love potion. Well, I might have made Lily do it – I wouldn’t be able to tell a love potion from a cure for boils, but you’re safe anyway.’

‘Those are for me?’ he said with slight raised eyebrows. Marley nodded.

‘All from “secret admirers”.’ She huffed. ‘“Secret”, my foot. Just keep an eye out for all the third years that are eyeing you off more than they should, and you’ve got your mystery senders.’ She cracked a grin. ‘Maybe you should go give each and every one of them a long winded speech of thanks.’

Sirius shook his head, laughing. ‘Nah. That’ll take too long. I’ll just gobble up the chocolate and be on with it.’

She swatted him. ‘Inconsiderate turd.’

‘At your service.’

‘Oh bloody hell.’ She grabbed one of the top parcels and pegged it at James’ sleeping form on the next bed over. ‘Oi! Jamesey!’

He just grumbled and rolled over.

Marley smirked. ‘It’s from _Lily_.’

James was sitting up and had that parcel torn open within the next three seconds, eyes wide. He then let out a groan and tossed down the box of chocolate cauldrons from Olivia Brown, shooting a glare at Marley. ‘You liar.’

Marley smiled sweetly. ‘That got your attention. Anyways, there’s a couple more for you over here if you bother to get off your bum.’

James grumbled and army-rolled off the bed, before heaving himself, blankets and all, onto Sirius’ and creating one big doona nest.

Marley grinned. ‘Look at you two, the pre-teen heartthrobs.’ She divvied up the stack of gifts and shoved them either way, before getting up. ‘I’m off. I’ve better things to do with my life than hang around with you losers all day.’

Sirius gave a half wave, still eyeing off the presents. ‘Bye.’

With a scoff, Marley threw the door open with enough force to scare Peter out of his sleep, and went down the stairs two at a time. Lily and Kayla were waiting down on the couches in the common room.

‘Let’s go get some food, yeah?’ Marley said, and with a nod at that suggestion, the three of them went out of the portrait hole and started making their way down to the Great Hall at their leisure.

About halfway down, just as they were about to catch a moving staircase, one of the portraits spoke up.

‘Are you by chance Miss Lily Evans?’

Lily paused, and turned. ‘Um, yes. Why?’

The portrait, a man with a white powder wig, lacy cuffs and all that jazz, unrolled a scroll of parchment. ‘I have been asked to deliver you a long and . . .’ He trailed off, a crease appearing between his eyebrows. ‘. . . _well worded_ poem that a mister James Potter gave to me last night.’

Lily blinked twice before responding. ‘No thanks, we really must be off. Terribly sorry, but it’s unavoidable. Bye!’ With that, she grabbed Marley and Kayla by the wrists and shot down the staircase.

‘Woah, hold up, bronco!’ Marley said as they skidded around a corner. ‘What was that about?’

‘Can’t stop,’ Lily hissed, and a second later, Marley realised why. The man was chasing after them, shoving the occupants in other portraits out of the way.

‘Wait!’ he cried. ‘I haven’t read it to you yet!’

‘I’m sorry,’ Lily replied, ‘but I haven’t the time! Maybe another day!’

Seconds later the three of them were in the Great Hall, where there were absolutely no portraits for the man to use. Lily plopped down on a bench at the Gryffindor table, rather red in the face.

‘What was that about?’ Marley asked incredulously.

‘It’s _Potter_ ,’ Lily said. ‘Any note from him is bad news.’

Kayla raised her eyebrows, while Marley just grinned. ‘ _You_ didn’t want a love note read to you in public.’

Lily spluttered. ‘I – _that’s not true!_ ’

‘So you _do_ want the love note.’

Lily paused. ‘That wasn’t what I meant either. I don’t want the poem _at all_.’

‘What could be so bad about it?’ Kayla asked. ‘It’s just James. For all you know, he’s Marauder, Transfiguration genius, and closet poet.’

Lily pulled a face. ‘Closet poet?’ She shook her head. ‘What I’m getting at here is that he’ll be out to humiliate me. That letter will probably be comparing my hair to a burning tree, and my eyes to . . . pickled toads or something.’

Marley guffawed. ‘Pickled toads? Don’t _you_ have a high opinion of yourself, Lil.’

Lily rolled her eyes. ‘It was the first mildly disgusting thing that came to mind.’

‘And quite inaccurate if I do say so myself,’ came a voice from behind them. Marley turned to see James standing there, holding something behind his back. He grinned at all three of them.

‘Where are the others?’ Kayla inquired. James shrugged.

‘Fairyland. Anyway, I myself would compare Miss Lilykin’s eyes to emeralds. Toads are too pale and mushy, especially pickled. I should know. Mum’s rather partial to using them in medicines.’

Marley winced. ‘Ah, yes. I remember that day. Nasty stuff, that was.’

James nodded in agreement. ‘Not quite sure I ever recovered. Anyway,’ he said, now focusing his attention on Lily. ‘Miss Evans! I have a gift for you.’

‘Oh no,’ Lily said, leaning away slightly and narrowing her eyes. ‘ _What now_ , Potter?’

James grinned. ‘Just want to give you some flowers.’ He whipped the said object - a bouquet of lilies – from behind his back. ‘Lilies for the Lily!’ He shoved them at her, and Lily leaned back, getting a face full of flowers.

‘ _Potter - !_ ’ She broke off and sneezed. ‘I –’ She sneezed again.

‘Were the flowers not up to the customer’s expectations?’ James asked seriously, his hazel eyes glittering with amusement from behind his glasses. ‘Would you like a refund?’

‘ _I’m –’_ Sneeze. ‘- _allergic -_ ’ Sneeze, sneeze. ‘- _to lilies!_ ’

James paused. ‘Oh.’

But after a moment, a small grin appeared on his face. ‘Oh well. Keep them, but at arm’s reach. Farewell, Miss Lily Evans!’ Then before Marley could process it, he was gone.

With another sneeze, Lily went to set the flowers down on the table. Her eyes were red and watering something horrid.

‘Well,’ she said, wiping them and regaining some composure. ‘They are actually pretty flowers. I might put them in a vase or something, just _away_ from me.’

‘See,’ Marley said pointedly. ‘He is thoughtful, even if he’s not bright enough to be keeping tabs on your allergies. He tried, at least. I don’t see _Snape_ giving you flowers.’

Lily huffed. ‘Severus is presently busy, and doesn’t _have_ to give me flowers. Personally I don’t think Potter was being very original, lilies and all. I think there might be a really bad pun behind all of this.’

Marley shrugged. ‘Or something else. Who knows?’

Lily picked up the flowers again and surveyed them, pinching her nose to prevent inhaling the pollen.

‘Well -’

_BANG!_

Swearing followed as Marley ducked for cover. They were engulfed in black gunpowder of sorts, and Marley could hear Lily coughing.

‘Lil! You okay?’

Somewhere from within the cloud, there was response. ‘Yeah -’ Cough, cough. ‘- I think I’m alive.’

‘Who blows up flowers, _seriously_?’ Kayla’s voice said, sounding irritated.

‘Huh?’

Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, Lily was sitting there looking stunned, with a soot covered face. The lilies were no longer in her hands – all that was left were charcoaled stumps of what had formerly been the stems. Lily’s eye twitched. ‘ _Potter._ ’

Marley blinked, eyes wide. ‘Um, Lil, let’s get you cleaned up.’ Kayla made a noise of agreement, and they both took her by an arm and led her out of the hall before any attention could be drawn to them.

Lily spent the entire trip back up to the dormitory spewing a long chain of profanities of everything her remotely pure, thirteen year old mind could conjure up, all having to do with that ‘no-good, prattish _bastard_ Potter’. Really, Lily’s vocabulary was a lot more extensive than Marley would have expected. Though, when growing up around the Marauders, one learns stuff a lot quicker than they usually should.

Upon entering the dormitory, the three girls went to the bathroom. Kayla soaked a washer in some warm water before wringing it out and passing it to Lily, while Marley tried in vain to dust the soot out of her hair. Lily took the washer and cleaned off her face, still muttering insults under her breath.

Then, completely out of the blue, she burst into tears.

‘Why does he have to hate me so much?’ she wailed. ‘He s-started it, and now he . . . he won’t bloody leave me alone!’

Marley and Kayla exchanged a look over the other girl’s shoulder. If only she knew . . .

* * *

 

** Sirius **

No, Sirius Black did _not_ run away from that group of third year girls. He just . . . strategically disappeared. While sprinting off down the corridor . . .

He hadn’t been here before. This corridor was a different sight, and judging by the dust and cobwebs on every surface, it suffered from a lack of use.

He pushed open the door and poked his head into the nearest classroom. The desks were all piled up against one wall, and the room was completely bare save a filing cabinet near the door. Wondering what he might find inside, Sirius closed the door behind him. With a bit of straining, he tugged it open.

There was the sound of something moving behind him, and Sirius whirled around.

Nothing was there.

Frowning and feeling slightly suspicious, he turned back to the filing cabinet.

He leapt back with a scream.

Oh no. Oh _nononononononono . . ._

Walburga Black glared down at him, fury etched on every feature of her terrifying face.

‘Sirius Orion Black!’ she screeched. Sirius felt his breath hitch in his throat and backed up, fear pounding in his heart. ‘You coward of a boy! You dared not to come home and face your parents as you should have! Instead you _hid_! You didn’t come back and get punished for your crimes against your family! You are a disgrace, and no son of mine!’ Disgust could be read all over her face.

Sirius wanted to run, but the door had become bolted somehow. Instead he tried to move away from his mother. _She was here to take him away from Hogwarts . . ._

‘You’re lucky I haven’t burned you off the family tree!’ Walburga screeched. ‘And, oh, when I get my hands on you . . .’

Fear had taken over Sirius. He tripped over a desk in his attempt to run away, and screamed. Once he started, he couldn’t stop. Because nothing was more terrifying than his mother. Nothing. She was the most ghastly thing he had ever know, and wouldn’t hesitate to hurt him. He slipped backwards and hit the floor.

In the background he could hear the door slamming open. ‘Sirius!’

Marley had burst into the room, and in an instant she laid her eyes on the woman before her. Then she did the most stupid thing Sirius thought she could ever do. She dove on his mother, tackling her to the ground. Suddenly the shape of the older woman started morphing, but before Sirius could work out what it was – or see it, for that matter -  Marley had shoved it back in the filing cabinet and turned the key, locking it in there.

Sirius was still shaking.

Marley’s face was the most welcome thing he could have seen right then. It was unusually anxious as she crossed the room to him and sat on the floor beside him.

‘Are you okay?’ she whispered. Sirius tried to put on a brave and cocky face like he usually would have, but he found he just couldn’t. Before he realised what he was doing, he shook his head.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ she asked. Sirius swallowed, and a long silence passed before he said anything.

‘What was that?’

Marley shrugged slightly. ‘I don’t know. A shape shifter of some sort, I think.’

That made sense. Only now Sirius was starting to realise that his mother wouldn’t randomly pop out of a filing cabinet.

‘Was that – was that . . . your mother?’ Marley whispered. Sirius nodded mutely. At this, she continued. ‘I think that creature is meant to take on the shape of your fears or something.’

That would explain a lot.

Marley swallowed lightly. ‘Look, I’m not going to let her hurt you, okay? I promise.’ She took his hand and laced their fingers. ‘She’ll have to go through me first.’ Her brown eyes were piercing his with such an intensity that Sirius felt slightly inclined to look away, but he just couldn’t.

‘This is going to sound stupid,’ Marley murmured, ‘but I’m here for you. I’m not going to judge you.’

Sirius nodded, feeling his eyes starting to well up. ‘I know,’ he whispered.

So he buried his face in her shoulder, and cried.


	30. Year 2 - Suspicions

**_ 30 – Suspicions _ **

** Remus **

Remus slid in beside Kayla, who was already sitting in her usual seat in the Transfiguration classroom.

‘Happy Valentine’s Day,’ he whispered. She looked up at him and smiled.

‘Thanks. Same to you.’

He grinned, before asking, ‘am I the only one that finds this day utterly useless?’

Kayla shrugged offhandedly. ‘At the moment the concept might be a little . . . weird for us thirteen year-olds, but when we’re older it might be different.’

‘But it’s not even a holiday.’

‘But why should it be? Even the teachers need to spread the love,’ she added with a giggle.

Remus scoffed. ‘McGonagall’s way of “spreading the love” is by giving us a Transfiguration exam.’

Kayla nodded. ‘True, true. I pity Lily right now.’

‘And I reckon James will be lording this sort of academic dominance over her.’

‘Do you know he gave her exploding flowers this morning?’

Remus nodded. ‘He told us afterwards. Very unoriginal – “lilies for the Lily” – don’t you think?’

Kayla gave a nod of agreement. ‘The poor girl was ready to murder.’

‘But she’s okay now?’

She nodded. ‘Yeah. She’s just boiled it down to James being arrogant and horrible again.’

‘Okay. Because I had to tell him off. Giving the girl you like a bunch of exploding flowers isn’t the best way to get through to her.’

Kayla frowned. ‘I thought he’d given up on her.’

Remus grinned. ‘Only temporarily. It took about a week of being back at school before he was after her again.’

She laughed slightly. ‘I’m surprised I didn’t see that before.’

He grinned again, as he suddenly felt hyperaware of what he was holding beneath the desk.

Goddamnit, he was a coward.

Kayla noticed the change in his expression, and a curious look overcame her features. ‘What is it?’

‘I . . . erm, don’t judge me, okay?’

She quirked an eyebrow. ‘Remus, even when it came down to your “furry little problem” I haven’t judged you in all the time I’ve known you. Unless you’ve killed someone, you needn’t worry.’

Remus flushed red. ‘Damn it, you got me. I stuffed the body in the supply cupboard on the fourth floor. If you’re going to tell anybody, make it be Dumbledore . . .’

That got a laugh out of her. ‘ _God_ , Rem. Seriously though, what is it?’

‘To start out, I’ll have you know that I went to Lily for suggestions, and she’s bloody hopeless. Just putting it out there.’

‘Rem . . .’

‘I, uh . . .’ With that, he pulled a single, pink (because he wanted to stray from tradition just a little) rose out from under the desk, where he was hiding it. ‘I had a fiddle around with some charms, so it shouldn’t die. In fact, it should live as long as you do. I just sort of . . .’

Kayla took the flower with wide eyes. ‘Remus . . .’

‘I know!’ Remus confessed. ‘It’s stupid. I should’ve -’

‘I think it’s sweet,’ Kayla said, cutting over him. ‘No one’s ever gotten me anything like this before.’ She looked at him, genuine sincerity in her eyes. ‘Thank you.’

Remus breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Good. Okay. Well . . .’

She grinned at him. ‘You’re a complete dork, you know that? Lily knew _exactly_ what she was doing.’

Remus made a wild gesture with his hands. ‘But . . . _flowers_. It’s not exactly original, is it?’

‘No, but it’s the gesture that counts,’ she said. ‘Not how expensive or extravagant it is, but how much effort you put into it. And I think,’ she continued, ‘I will _never_ have another flower like this in my life. Ever.’ She finished off with a little smile tugging on her lips. ‘Besides, I thought before you were saying you didn’t get the point of Valentine’s Day.’

Remus pulled a face and gave a half-shrug. ‘Well, sort of.’

She laughed. ‘Anyway, I sent a letter to Mum last week, asking her to load the owl up with as much chocolate as it can carry. It should be back by now. What do you say about pigging out on some later?’

Remus grinned. ‘Did you even have to ask that?’

She smiled. ‘I suppose not. But thanks again.’ She seemed to be debating over doing something, then before Remus realised what had happened, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Remus promptly dropped the textbook he had been half way through pulling out of his bag. His mouth fell open, and Kayla burst into laughter upon seeing how stunned he was.

‘I -’ He flushed red again, and leaned over to pick his textbook up off the floor.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Lily?’ Severus prodded her with the end of his quill. Lily looked up from the textbook she had been flipping through in a complete and utter panic, and spared him a moment.

‘Hmm?’

‘You’re friends with Lupin, aren’t you?’

Lily gave a small nod. ‘Yes. Why?’

‘Something’s really weird about him. Have you noticed it?’

Lily frowned. ‘That’s not a nice thing to say about somebody, Sev. Remus isn’t weird. He’s perfectly normal.’

Sev shook his head. ‘That’s not what I’m getting at. I mean, haven’t you _noticed?_ ’

Sighing, Lily put down the notes she had clamped tightly in her hands. ‘Noticed what?’

He gave a small shrug. ‘His mother’s sick an awful lot. _I_ think it might be something else. Wouldn’t you agree?’

‘This is Remus’ business, Sev. Not yours, not mine. If it were really something else, he would tell me when he’s ready. And I’m _sure_ -,’ she shot him a look, ‘- that he wouldn’t like other people sticking their noses into it. I know _I_ wouldn’t, for one.’ Continuing to look at him in disapproval, she picked up her notes again. Judging by the fact that Severus looked anything but nonplussed, she knew her message had gotten through to him.

‘Fine,’ Sev muttered. Lily just pursed her lips and went to look back at a paragraph in the textbook. A long moment passed before he said, ‘I’m sorry.’

Slightly taken aback by this – Severus wasn’t usually one for apologies – Lily looked up at him again. Finally deciding that she wasn’t dreaming, she gave a small nod and a smile. ‘It’s okay,’ she said.

Before anything else could be said, Professor McGonagall entered the room, a stack of test papers under her arm.

* * *

 

Lily wasn’t stupid. She knew Severus wouldn’t give up on trying to find out where Remus went when his mother was “ill”. And that irritated her. Perhaps what Remus told was the truth. Then what?

She didn’t like that Severus wanted to stick his nose into people’s business. She knew that people had their flaws, and that he was naturally inquisitive and tended to speak before thinking, but Severus didn’t like Remus. At all. In fact, if Lily didn’t know better, she would think that he hated him, all because he was friends with Potter.

Now, looking at it from another angle; say that Remus was lying about his mother’s health, and that he went away for a different reason. What would happen then, if Severus found out about it? Would he drop it, finally knowing what was going on, and leave him alone? Or would he . . . use it, so to speak?

Lily really didn’t know. She always wanted to believe the best in people, and she certainly knew Severus was a good person. He was her friend, after all. But that didn’t change what some people did when anger and hate got in the way.

Lily only hoped he would make the right choices.

* * *

 

** James **

Personally, James thought it was bloody hilarious that he gave Evans the exploding lilies. She obviously didn’t think so, when he went to talk to her about it before the Transfiguration exam, she had told him to shove off, and called him a variety of _lovely_ names he had to remember to write down and use later. But Remus said he had been going about everything the wrong way – that girls do _not_ like exploding flowers. Shame that.

But, he had to get back on her good side if he was getting any help on this Charms essay. Damn it, why did he have to suck at this subject so much?

So, he cautiously approached her while she was in the common room, hoping he wouldn’t have his head chomped off.

‘Evans?’

Her shoulders stiffened at the sound of his voice, and even though he knew she couldn’t see him, she knew he was there. With a scraping sound, she slid her chair back, got up, and made her way to the girls’ dormitory.

‘Evans, wait!’ James ran after her, catching her by the shoulder before she could disappear up the stairs. She whirled on him.

‘ _What,_ Potter? What in Merlin’s _bloody_ name do you _want?_ ’

Woah. She was terrifying when she was furious. Slightly taken aback by this, James gaped like a fish, not quite able to answer.

‘Thought so,’ she muttered, turning back to the stairs.

‘No, wait! I – I . . .’

‘You what?’ she asked flatly, looking unamused.

‘I, uh, I need your help.’

‘ _No_ , I am _not_ raiding the kitchens with you, Potter.’

‘No, not the kitchens, I . . .’ He trailed off, feeling relatively embarrassed. Evans continued to wait for his answer, looking irritable.

‘I need your help with this Charms essay,’ he muttered, so quiet he wasn’t sure she had heard.

Apparently, she hadn’t.

‘Pardon?’ she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Grabbing his pride and stuffing it away in a box, James raised his head, looked her in the eyes and said, ‘I need help with Charms. I’m _actually_ failing, Evans.’

Evans froze, looking surprised. A very long moment passed before she spoke.

‘And how do you know that?’

James sighed. ‘Flitwick kept me back after class just before and told me.’ He bit his lip. ‘ _Please,_ Evans. If I fail when the exams roll around, there’s a big chance I won’t make it into third year. I’m sorry about the flowers this morning, but I really need your help.’

This seemed to shock her more than any prank James had ever pulled on her. She looked at him, wide eyed.

‘You’re not lying,’ she said after a minute. James nodded earnestly. ‘And this is no small matter like when you came to me last year.’ James nodded again. ‘Passing depends on it,’ she finished. He gave a final nod.

‘Hmm.’ She pursed her lips and appeared to be thinking. ‘As tempting as it is to let you fail and get you out of my hair,’ she said slowly, ‘I’ll help you. But you _really_ need to stop being an arrogant prat to me.’

James had rarely felt so relieved in his life. ‘ _Thank you!_ ’ he cried, hugging her tightly. Evans let out a squeak of indignation, and suddenly realising what he was doing, James let go and ran a hand through his hair. ‘I mean, that’s cool,’ he said hastily.

Evans was thinking again. ‘We shall always remember this as the day you _begged_ me, on hands and knees, no less, for my amazing wisdom and guidance.’ She gave a triumphant smirk as James’ jaw dropped.

‘ _Excuse you?_ ’

‘Do you want my help or not?’

Grumbling, James stuffed his hands in his pockets and scuffed his shoe against the carpet.

‘And henceforth,’ Lily said, ‘this mission will be known as “Operation: Get Potter through Charms”.’

James blinked. ‘ _Mission?_ ’


	31. Year 2 - Operation: Get Potter Through Charms

**_ 31 – Operation: Get Him Through Charms  _ **

** Lily **

‘First things first, _why_ didn’t you ask Remus for help?’

‘He’s off somewhere. Probably with that friend of yours.’

‘Hm.’ Lily fully believed that. With a sigh, she pulled her Charms textbook out of the bag slung on her hip and tossed it on the nearest table.

‘Sit,’ she instructed Potter.

Strangely enough, he did. Lily hadn’t expected him to be this compliant. He really _must_ be failing.

She sat down opposite him and fixed him with a steely look. ‘What exactly are you struggling with?’

He gave an offhand shrug. ‘Everything.’

Lily frowned. ‘That’s not helping. Explain.’

‘I don’t get the theory, and when I do spells they backfire in my face . . . as everyone knows.’

‘Right,’ she said, thinking. ‘We’ll focus on this essay for now. Transparency charms and their uses.’ She pulled out a quill, ink pot and sheet of parchment. ‘Start with the heading.’

Raising his eyebrows, Potter picked up the quill and scribbled a heading. After another second’s thought, he wrote his name in the top corner.

Lily folded her arms on the table. ‘What do you know about transparency charms?’

‘Absolutely nothing,’ Potter replied instantly. She gave him a reprimanding look.

‘You weren’t _listening_ when Professor Flitwick was going through this?’

‘Sirius and I were sleeping,’ he said matter-of-factly.

‘Well no _wonder_ you’re failing,’ Lily muttered, riffling through pages in the textbook.

That apparently struck a nerve. ‘No matter how many times that man repeats stuff, all of it flies over my head anyway,’ he said angrily. ‘I was _hoping_ you would be able to explain this by a different means that actually helps me register this.’

Lily was rather surprised by how suddenly he had snapped, and her eyes widened for a brief second. Potter seemed to have realised this, and scratched the back of his neck absently.

‘Sorry,’ he muttered.

Lily shook her head. ‘No, I know what you mean. Professor Flitwick isn’t teaching in a way that you are able to learn it.’

‘Not exactly,’ he said. ‘In other classes I get it just fine, but Charms . . . I don’t know.’

‘We’ll just need to find you a different method to learn by,’ Lily said, not unkindly. The boy was swaying her sympathies today – not something that happened often. An idea came to her.

‘Go get Sirius.’

Potter blinked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘Go get Sirius,’ she repeated. ‘I’ve an idea that we could try.’

And so he did. Ten minutes later, he had retrieved the other boy from the depths of the kitchens (with Marley, it seemed. The reason was unknown to Lily), and she explained a potential method.

‘You two, stand here,’ she directed the boys. Marley plopped herself down in an armchair, waiting for the show. Potter and Sirius obliged, looking curious as to what she was going to do.

Lily walked back to her seat and picked up her textbook.

‘Now, I’m going to give you a fact in regards to transparency charms. What you have to do is make a scene out of that fact. You can do absolutely anything you like, but it has to involve the fact in some way.’

After that, things became interesting. At first, James and Sirius had been swaggering about dramatically re-enacting scenes from the ever popular wizarding play, The Wizard and the Bulbous Toadstool, inserting Charms related terms whenever they felt necessary. Now, they were running around singing a parody of a song written by one of Sirius’ latest muggle band fascinations, Pink Floyd. Instead of singing the actual lyrics, they were shouting out how to perform various transparency charms.

‘How they heck did this happen?’ Marley asked Lily incredulously. She just shrugged.

Right at that moment, Potter ran past yelling, ‘ _then at last the mighty ship descending on a point of flame made contact with the transparency chaaaaaaarrrmmmmm!_ ’

Marley blinked.

Lily blinked.

‘There’s no pulling them out of this,’ Marley said.

‘ _Now, now, now it’s transparent – transparent,’_ Sirius cried, leaping onto the back of an armchair and tumbling off. ‘ _Time to turn it back – back – back again . . .’_

‘Why do they make me think of flamingos?’ Lily asked.

‘Because they’re distantly related to pink birds,’ Marley muttered. ‘And they’re being psychotic. Like birds.’

‘ _With a quarter wrist flick – wrist flick –’_

_‘Towards the right – right –’_

_‘The mighty ship will be visible!’_

‘They’re not even getting the syllables right,’ Lily said. ‘Some parody this is.’

Marley stuffed her fist in her mouth to stop herself from laughing too hard.

‘It’s true,’ Lily said. ‘They’re trying to cram their lyrics into the sentence before they have to move onto the next. And it’s _really_ failing.’

‘I could’ve told you that.’

They both burst into laughter, and Potter and Sirius paused in their singing (which was better considered as yelling and eardrum-busting) to regard them with looks of mock offense.

‘ _Excuse_ you?’ Potter asked.

‘I could ask the same question,’ Sirius said haughtily.

‘I don’t -’ Lily dissolved into a fit of giggles. ‘Is this actually working?’ she finally managed.

Potter paused. ‘Uh . . .’

Lily cocked her head. ‘Which way do you flick your wrist?’

‘I only remember the quarter bit.’

‘Hmm.’ Lily swept some loose strands of hair out of her face. ‘I think we’ll need a new strategy.’

‘But this is _fun_ ,’ Potter and Sirius whined in unison.

‘And isn’t the greatest for my sanity,’ Marley cut in, kicking one of her feet up onto the coffee table.

‘I _beg_ your pardon?’

‘You want my pardon, you’ll get it, Sirius,’ she said absently.

‘Right,’ Lily said. ‘Let’s try something else.’ She picked a book up off the coffee table. ‘I’m going to throw this at you.’

‘What?’ Potter said, looking dumbfounded.

‘I know. It’s rather morbid, this sort of book abuse. Anyway, you have to turn it remotely transparent and step out of the way before it smacks you in the face.’

‘It’s motivation,’ Marley piped up. ‘That pretty nose of yours will be broken, Jamesey, unless you manage to turn the book invisible.’

He gave her a funny look. ‘They’re _transparency_ spells, Marls. If I turned it completely invisible, I wouldn’t know where to step when getting out of the way.’

Marley shrugged. ‘Potato, pot _a_ to. Big deal.’

‘Tomato, tom _a_ to,’ Sirius added, flashing a grin their way. Marley rolled her eyes.

‘I’ll try it,’ Potter said, turning to Lily. ‘Gimme your best shot.’

Lily grinned. ‘I will.’

She took a step away, turned, then pegged the book as hard as she could. Potter was on the other side of the room and knew it was coming, so he had ample time to react. Thankfully no one else was down in the common room to be taken out by flying objects of any sort.

‘ _Limpidius!’_ he cried, brandishing his wand. The book veered violently, flipped around, and tossed itself into the empty fireplace. Lily screeched and dove after it.

‘Well that failed,’ he muttered.

Lily turned to Potter. ‘You flicked your wrist to the left. You need to do it to the right.’

He groaned. ‘Damn it, it just never wants to go to the right. I could tell myself every time, “go to the right”, and next thing I know, everything’s on fire!’

Lily sighed. ‘You just need to get used to it. Come on, try it a few times without saying the incantation.’

He made a point of twisting his wand like a screwdriver, dramatically screwing up his face with the effort. Lily stared at him flatly.

‘You need to _loosen up_ ,’ she grumbled.

‘Like this?’ He started brandishing his wand around like an ape, grinning the whole time.

‘We’re not going to get anywhere if you keep this up,’ Lily said. ‘Do you want to pass this goddamned subject or not?’

That got his attention. Potter tuned down his arm movements, now just flicking his wand to the right.

‘That’s better. Let’s try the incantation again.’

She picked up a book and was just about to throw it when Chance darted down from the girls’ dormitory and barrelled straight for Lily. She barely had time to notice a mouse dart straight between her legs before she dropped the book with a squeal.

Under the impression that she had “thrown” it, Potter shouted the incantation again, and Lily fell straight onto her backside.

Rolling her eyes, Marley got to her feet and grabbed the mouse by the tail before it could end up underneath a couch, went to the portrait hole, and dumped it outside.

‘Uh, where’s the cat?’ Sirius asked.

Lily jumped as she felt something furry butt against her ankles. She looked down and felt her heart lurch as she realised nothing was there. But apparently, there was.

‘Potter,’ she said slowly. ‘Did you turn this poor cat _completely_ invisible?’

The portrait hole opened, and Remus and Kayla hurried in, looking rather dishevelled.

‘Where were you?’ Marley inquired with a raised eyebrow.

‘Madam Pince got rather caught up in her shelve sorting,’ Kayla answered. ‘We were too busy with homework, so she didn’t really think to boot us out of the library until just then. We had to run to avoid Filch.’

‘He didn’t catch you?’ Sirius sounded surprised.

‘You forgot I was travelling with a Marauder,’ came Kayla’s reply as Lily dumped the poor book back on the coffee table.

‘True, true,’ Sirius said amiably.

Kayla dumped the parchment she had been carrying on the coffee table and went upstairs. Remus sat on the couch beside Marley.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

‘Helping Potter with Charms,’ Lily replied. ‘So far, nothing’s working.’

Remus raised his eyebrows. ‘What convinced _you_ to take on a task as big as this?’

‘Trust me,’ Lily grumbled, ‘I don’t know.’

‘I know _I’ve_ had fun,’ Potter put in.

‘Seconded,’ Sirius added.

Remus looked at Lily incredulously. ‘How . . . ?’

Potter jumped to his feet. ‘Look, I reckon I might be able to do it now.’ He pointed his wand at the book again, and said, ‘ _limpidius_.’

At first, nothing happened. Lily pursed her lips and let out a small, defeated sigh, and Potter’s remotely confident face fell. Sirius crossed his arms, watching the book.

Then, it suddenly looked as though it were made out of glass. Lily squealed and jumped to her feet, unable to believe what was happening. Potter let out a yell of appreciation and high-fived Sirius with both hands. Marley whooped.

‘I _knew_ I could do it, Evans, I _knew_ it!’

‘I . . . I . . .’ Lily was literally lost for words.

‘Yeah!’ He pumped his fists in the air. ‘ _Yeah!_ ’

‘Now you can do that essay,’ Lily said. ‘You know the concepts behind the charm!’

His face fell, and he groaned. ‘Damn it.’

There was the sound of something coming down the steps, and Kayla surfaced from the dormitories.

‘Has anyone seen Chance?’


	32. Year 2 - Steadily Approaching

**_ 32 – Steadily Approaching _ **

** Kayla **

Time seemed to fly now, which was the exact opposite of what everyone wanted. It meant that the end of term exams were approaching, and the teachers were applying so much pressure that most of the second years were staying up almost as late as the older students, struggling in vain to get homework finished. But Kayla knew that things would only get tougher in the future. What they had was a microscopic proportion compared to what the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students were going through.

Both she and Remus were presently sitting in the library, poring over various books as they struggled through a particularly vicious Astronomy assignment. Then completely out of the blue, Remus let out a dramatic groan.

‘Why do we even _have_ this subject? It’s just bloody _stargazing_ , for Merlin’s sake!’

Kayla blinked, slightly surprised by his outburst. ‘Calm down, Rem. It’s not for too much longer. I think in third year we have the option to drop it. So you only have to struggle for a few more weeks.’

Remus seemed considerably happier at that, but he still appeared to be disgruntled. ‘I don’t _care_ where Jupiter’s moons are, and I doubt I ever will.’ He crossed his arms and grumbled.

Kayla shook her head. ‘I agree with you – Jupiter’s moons really wouldn’t have any effect on modern issues. It won’t save any lives, anyway. But we’ll just struggle through this, okay?’

He still seemed irritated, not budged at all by her words.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Aww, is Remus sulking over the stars?’ she said in a childish voice, grinning. Remus pulled a face at her and she laughed.

‘Would a hug cheer you up?’ she posed. ‘Or are you too manly for hugs?’

Still apparently trying to come off as grumpy, Remus struggled to keep himself frowning as a smile threatened to break through. But regardless, he let her hug him. Because, as he had said once, you couldn’t be too manly for hugs. Not when you were thirteen, anyway.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley hissed as she slid herself down into the chair that Saturday morning, her muscles feeling as though they were on fire. Lily looked up at the essay she was writing.

‘What’s up?’ she asked.

‘Marcus is a right arse,’ Marley muttered.

‘What did he do?’ Lily questioned, a small smile creeping on her lips.

How _dare_ she mock her when she was in this state! How _dare_ she?

‘He decided -’ She winced as she moved slightly. ‘- that we ought to do a bit of muggle related fitness too. To keep in shape, you know. But I didn’t know -’ She groaned again. ‘- that you _hurt_ so much the next day!’

Lily openly laughed this time. ‘Ah, Marley is finally feeling _actual_ pain,’ she said smugly. ‘Imagine what athletes go through.’

‘Yeah, but -’ Groan. ‘- they’d get used to it.’

Lily shook her head condescendingly. ‘Deep down, Marlene Grace McKinnon, you’re really a princess.’

‘That is _not_ cool, Lil. At all.’

‘You whine too much.’

Marley glared at her.

‘Ladies!’ Sirius materialised behind them, and gave Marley a sharp jab between the shoulder blades. She let out a loud yelp and nearly keeled backwards into Sirius, who seemed surprised at her reaction.

‘What happened?’ he asked, curious.

‘Come back the morning after an intense training session,’ she moaned, flopping face-first onto the table. ‘It _hurts_ , Lil.’

 ‘Well I never,’ Sirius said.

By the sound of it, Lily had turned her attention to him. ‘Oh?’

‘Marley’s the sort that would have to be maimed brutally before she complains. What’s up with this?’

‘Beats me.’

‘If you two are going to stand there gossiping about me,’ Marley grumbled, ‘ _someone_ at least give me a shoulder rub. I bloody need it.’

‘I’ve been told that my shoulder rubs are immensely painful,’ Sirius said. Marley lifted her head off the table slightly and regarded him.

‘Then I need you to do it,’ she said. ‘It’ll work out better in the long run, I just know it.’

Sirius shrugged. ‘It’s your funeral.’

‘Try me.’

Making a show out of rolling up his sleeves, Sirius clapped his hands together. When Marley finally sat up straight, he set both of them just behind each of her shoulders, and started massaging in various rotating motions. At first, all Marley could think about was the soreness of her muscles. Then the pressure Sirius was applying finally set in, and she tried her best not to wince. She wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction. But she could feel the knots starting to unravel, and she felt a little better.  

‘Where else?’ Sirius finally said. ‘It can’t just be your shoulders.’

Without even saying anything, Marley pointed to the sides of her ribcage and Sirius moved his hands, still continuing with the rotating motion. The painful feeling started all over again, but obviously this area was more sensitive. She couldn’t stop the tiny hiss that escaped between her teeth. At the rate Sirius was going, her ribs would snap before the pain went away. The whole time, Lily just watched on and smirked.

Finally Sirius stopped, and put his head in next to hers. ‘Better?’

‘Remotely,’ Marley muttered. He shrugged.

‘That’ll do.’

There was a tapping on the window across the room, and the three of them looked over to see a familiar owl sitting on the windowsill.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

Marley frowned as she looked at the bird, then got to her feet and crossed the room, letting it in. It hopped in, hooting dolefully, and stuck its leg out for Marley to untie the letter it had been carrying. She took the parchment and patted the owl on the head before it took off again. Sirius could tell by the look on her face that she hadn’t been expecting the letter.

Sitting back down in her chair, Marley slit the envelope and pulled out the parchment. Her forehead creased into a frown as her eyes travelled down the page.

It was a very long moment before anyone spoke.

‘What is it?’ Lily finally asked, looking concerned at Marley’s prolonged silence.

‘I . . .’ The other girl seemed as though she were struggling to process something. She chewed her lip, still frowning. Sirius wondered what had happened.

Finally she passed the letter over to Lily. Lily read through, and her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

‘Congratulations!’ she squealed, wrapping Marley up in a hug. ‘That’s so exciting!’

‘What?’ Marley asked incredulously. ‘You’re nuts!’

‘Oh shush. Don’t be silly. This is great!’

‘Okay, what am I missing out on?’ Sirius asked, sticking his hand out for the letter.

‘Marley’s going to be a sister!’ Lily said in a sing-song voice, still smiling.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. ‘Marley? A sister? That’s hilarious.’

Marley pursed her lips, looking rather disgruntled. ‘For your information, I’ve rather enjoyed my upbringing, _mainly_ because there _wasn’t_ anyone else.’

‘And now there’ll be a Marley number two running around the place,’ Sirius said grinning. ‘I wonder, will this one be better behaved or worse than you?’

‘Humph.’ Marley crossed her arms and looked at him sulkily.

Sirius just laughed.

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly. Marley, in an attempt to avoid thinking about news she had received earlier, had buried her head in a textbook and was trying to study. Sirius was doing his best to distract her.

‘Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley, Marley . . .’ He hovered around her chair, saying her name in as many annoying tones he could think of.

She didn’t reply, leaning closer towards the book.

He tugged on a curl that hung down in front of her ear. She continued to ignore him.

He picked up her quill and wrote _Loser_ on her forehead. He then charmed it to flash different colours.

Still no response.

He pulled out her hairband. Instantly the messy curls sprung everywhere, some of them tumbling in her face while others stuck up from static. She just swept some of it out of her eyes and continued reading.

‘Why won’t you pay attention to me?’ he whined.

As though to reinforce the point, Marley kept reading.

‘ _You don’t even_ like _reading!_ ’

Well, that wasn’t true. He didn’t know that as a fact, but he was pretty sure Marley would have preferred to go on a manic kitchen-raiding spree than reading a Potions textbook.

‘Come on, Marls!’

She idly turned the page.

Sirius draped his arms over her shoulder and stuck his face in beside hers. ‘ _Marley . . .’_

She picked up the quill he had put down before and scribbled something on her parchment.

‘MARLENE MCKINNON, WILL YOU BLOODY _TALK_ TO ME?’

Marley just yawned slightly and put the quill down.

‘If you don’t talk to me, I will try to work out the most painful place to punch you.’

Judging by the way her eyebrows rose slightly, she seemed rather amused by that proposition.

Ha. So she _was_ listening.

Well, she would have been. Sirius wasn’t exactly being quiet.

‘I won’t give you any more free massages.’

Her lips pursed slightly at this – evidently this was the right angle to take. But once again, she didn’t reply.

Stubborn cow.

‘I will _leave_ you in your painful muscle-ness-ness-ness, and you won’t know what to do next time your bloody captain works you into the ground doing this said “muggle fitness”. You’ll be lost, because me and my killer massages _won’t be there_.’

Her eyes were laughing. She clearly didn’t believe him. So she kept reading.

Sirius grumbled, and pulled the book completely out of her hands with a triumphant ‘ha!’

Not even fazed, she pulled another book out of her bag.

‘ _Marley!_ I don’t like it when you read. You don’t talk to me.’ He crossed his arms and pouted.

A tiny smirk crept on her lips.

‘Marley . . .’ He was practically hanging off her now, trying to stick his head between her and the book. ‘I ate the last slice of pie.’

He had expected she would have at least been miffed by that statement. But Marley was actually a smart girl. She knew there was no bloody pie to begin with. Sirius grumbled.

‘Marley, I’ve got a girlfriend.’

She dropped the book. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘Kidding.’ He grinned. ‘That got your attention.’

‘Arse,’ she muttered, picking it back up again. ‘Go away.’

‘No,’ he said pointedly. ‘Stop studying. It’s creeping me out.’

‘ _You’re_ creeping me out.’

‘Nah. I’m too good looking for that.’

‘What does that have to do with anything? Hot guys can creep someone out just as easily as anyone else can.’

He hadn’t thought of that. ‘Meh. Now _come on_. The Giant Squid’s feeling lonely. He needs some company.’

Marley flushed as he brought that incident back up. It was evident that after all these months, she hadn’t forgotten. ‘No, the Giant Squid is perfectly happy where he is. He’ll suffer a premature death if he has any more encounters with us.’

‘ _No_ , Squiddy loves me. Don’t say that.’

‘I thought I just did.’

‘Marley, if you do not come with me, I will _make_ you.’

She crossed her arms. ‘I’d like to see you try.’

So without any warning, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Marley screeched at this sudden development, and tried her best to kick him. Sirius just grinned. ‘You _said_ you’d like to see me try. I can’t fathom why you’re so upset.’

Marley shuffled and grumbled. ‘Your shoulder is digging into my stomach.’

Sirius smirked. ‘My apologies, Madam.’

‘Psh. You’re not sorry.’

‘Why should I be?’

‘I don’t know, now _put me down!’_


	33. Year 2 - Time To Go

**_ 33 – Time to Go _ **

** Remus **

‘Another year down, and personally I think the exams went just fine,’ Remus said as he and Kayla walked out of the Charms classroom.

Kayla nodded, but she was evidently deep in thought. Most likely her mind was still on one of the questions on the test paper, which Remus was only just starting to push out of his head.

‘I think Lily would have wound herself in knots again,’ she finally said after a minute. ‘I wouldn’t know, though, I haven’t seen her all day.’

‘Well, I know the lads don’t give a whit,’ Remus said. ‘They were too busy trying to make the toilets in the girls’ bathroom explode this morning.’

Kayla paused, and turned to look at him with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. ‘Seriously?’

He nodded, and she gave a small laugh. ‘Remind me not to go in there any time today. The bathrooms on what floor?’

‘The second, I think. Whichever one has Moaning Myrtle in it.’

She sniggered. ‘I bet that wouldn’t have ended well.’

‘I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen them since, either.’

They both started up the various staircases towards the Gryffindor common room, chattering about the various goings-ons of the day, and neither of them voicing that they would be leaving in the next few days.

‘You know, I think we can go to Hogsmeade next year,’ Remus said. They were both now lounging on the couches before the bare fireplace, various limbs strewn everywhere, and not really caring all that much that they each had a leg dangling over the armrests of their chairs.

‘What’s Hogsmeade?’ Kayla asked, looking confused.

‘The little village where the train station is. We get to go down there a couple of weeks in the year,’

She looked surprised. ‘Oh?’

He nodded. ‘I reckon it will be a nice change.’

She appeared to agree with him. ‘It will definitely give us something to do in the least.’

* * *

 

Most had been at a loss with what to do with themselves. Some of the students lounged around outside, enjoying the sunny weather, while others (the Marauders) decided that it was a prime time to wreak as much havoc as possible. They had been considerate about the OWL and NEWT students while those exams were going on – mainly because of Remus - but Sirius and James had been going absolutely mental from a lack of pranking over that period of time. So afterwards everyone had been suffering double.

But the year was now drawing to a close as the four boys made their way down to the Great Hall, roughhousing and playfully bickering as they did so. James and Sirius were in high spirits, believing that Gryffindor would win the house cup, but Remus believed otherwise. They had caused too much trouble over the year. Sadly, no one could ever win a battle with an overlarge ego – two, to be precise.

They all plopped down on the bench together and without blinking twice, the lot of them dove straight into the food. Dumbledore’s speech could wait until later – they were _hungry_.

‘Can you lot eat any faster?’ came a disgruntled voice as Lily sat on the bench next to Remus. Only Remus had the consideration to look up, as Sirius and Peter were now involved in a heated argument involving mushy peas while James proceeded to lob some of the said food across the hall in an attempt to hit Snape at the Slytherin table.

‘It looks like we’ve stopped for now,’ Remus said, grinning slightly. ‘Where are the other two?’ He gestured to the empty spots beside her. Lily shook her head slightly.

‘Girl dilemmas. They’ll be down shortly.’

‘Ah.’ Remus reached out to yank the bowl of mushy peas out of James’ grip and gave him a stern look, but not before a glob of the green stuff smacked Snape in the back of the head. Rolling his eyes, Remus shoved the bowl as far down the table as he could, returning his attention to Lily.

‘Sorry about that; it was getting annoying.’

Lily pursed her lips slightly, regarding James with narrowed eyes, before giving Remus a nod. ‘It’s fine. It was irritating me, too.’

But, of course, James just located some more ammo. Remus proceeded to ignore him thereafter.

Marley appeared out of nowhere and slid down the bench, smacking into Lily and squashing her, Remus and the rest of the boys together like sardines. Marley just grinned, and Kayla, who had been behind her, sat down in the only empty space on the other side of her.

‘Who gave James corn?’ the brown-head asked. Remus turned to regard his friend, who had indeed squashed handfuls of corn into balls and was charming them to fly over and hit his target (still Snape). Remus snatched his wand out of his hand, and James made a noise of complaint as the ball dropped and splattered all over Aislin Andrews at the Ravenclaw table.

‘Stop it,’ Remus said sternly.

‘Aww, come off it, Moony,’ James whined. Remus shook his head, and pocketed the wand.

The rest of the night passed fairly smoothly. They got through dessert without any more problems, however, just like Remus had predicted, Gryffindor didn’t win the House Cup. The havoc the boys had wreaked had lost them too many points, causing them to come second to Ravenclaw. James and Sirius had been visibly brassed off by this, as they both made a point of standing up on the table and shouting their objections rather loudly. They finally came down when Lily threatened to hex them, but that was only because she gave them a taster by turning James’ ears into broccoli.

But other than that, nothing really went wrong.

* * *

 

** James **

The next morning, everyone was at Hogsmeade station, ready to leave. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all gathered on the platform, and slowly trying to push their way onto the train, eager to find a compartment. As far as they were concerned, there were still several games of Exploding Snap to be played.

‘Think about it, James,’ Remus teased as they made their way down the corridor. ‘You won’t see Lily for two whole months.’

James nodded. ‘The poor bird’s going to miss me something _terrible_.’

‘I doubt that,’ Remus said amiably. ‘I think it’s going to be the other way around.’

They crowded into a compartment, haphazardly tossing their trunks up onto the racks, while Sirius whipped out the deck of cards and started dealing them out.

They got through several rounds over the trip, and James was able to claim that he was the all dominating champion of Exploding Snap, even though he only won one round. But that was how he felt, so as far as he was concerned, he was a champion. No objections were necessary, even though Remus gave plenty.

As they drew closer and closer to London, a shadow started settling over Sirius just like it had the last time. The apparent dread of returning to his family was what spurred James to say what he did.

‘You’re coming with me again, Sirius. I’m not letting you go back there.’

Sirius looked up, evidently surprised. James’ statement had come completely out of the blue, even though he had been thinking about it for the last few minutes.

After a moment, he shook his head. ‘I can’t Prongsie. I can’t keep crashing at your place all the time. I’m gonna have to face the music someday.’

‘Yeah, but not right now,’ James objected. ‘You can do that next year. Come back home with me again.’

‘I can’t leave Reg alone with them again,’ Sirius said.

Oh.

Regulus.

Of course. There had to be more to this than purely a stubborn will.

James took a breath. ‘Have they ever _hurt_ Regulus?’

Sirius shrugged half-heartedly. ‘Not that I know of. That sort of stuff only really happens to me. But I’m not going to leave him there with them.’

‘Well,’ James started, ‘Regulus isn’t really on their bad side. I don’t think anything bad is going to happen if you didn’t go back.’

But Sirius shook his head again. ‘I can’t keep invading your house, James. Your parents have already provided more than enough hospitality. It’s more than I’ve deserved.’

‘Rubbish,’ he said flatly. ‘It’s as much your house as it is mine. You deserve an actual _home_ , Sirius. We can give you one.’

A long pause followed that, before Sirius finally spoke. ‘Not right now. Maybe later . . . if I need it.’ He looked James right in the eyes. ‘Okay?’

James finally nodded, knowing this was the best he was going to get as of right now. ‘Fine.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

And now they were going back to the muggle world. Back home.

Lily, Marley and Kayla stepped off the train, trunks being dragged behind them, and looked around for their families. Marley made an indignant noise as she spotted a couple not far away, and started off towards them. Lily and Kayla followed.

Lily had first met Mrs McKinnon back in first year, over the Christmas holidays. She was a very pretty lady, and you could tell Marley had inherited a lot of her features from her, in particular her eyes and curly hair. Her father was a tall, suit-wearing, bearded man with dark brown hair and smiling eyes. Despite his high position in the Ministry, he was a kind man.

‘You look like you’ve swallowed a _watermelon_.’

That was the very first thing Marley said, looking at her mother. Mrs McKinnon just laughed as her daughter regarded her already bulging belly, and kissed her on the forehead. ‘I knew you would be like that,’ she said, looking amused. ‘You never see the good side to these things, do you?’

‘But what if it’s a _boy?_ ’ Marley complained. ‘I’ve practically already got two brothers at school! Adding another one to the lot will be _chaos!_ ’

Knowing that she was talking about Potter and Sirius, her parents exchanged a look Marley didn’t see, looking entertained by her rambling.

‘You’re a strange child,’ Mr McKinnon said. ‘You always have been.’

Lily turned to Kayla. ‘We’ve got to go through the barrier.’ She looked back at the McKinnons with a smile, and they both hugged Marley and exchanged their goodbyes, along with several promises to write regularly, and finally turned away. They went to the barrier together, and waited for the security guard to give the all-clear and let them through.

Going through the barrier still made Lily feel nervous – that brick wall looked as solid as ever. But they both went through it without any difficulties, and Lily spotted her parents almost instantly when they were on the other side. Kayla departed momentarily to meet up with her mum, and Lily rushed forward to hug her parents. Petunia was standing off to the side, making no move to greet her sister, and looking particularly sour.

‘It’s lovely to see you again, Lily-flower,’ Rose said, smiling as she hugged her daughter. Lily didn’t respond, she just hugged her mum tighter. She then moved to give her father an embrace as Kayla returned with her mother. Caroline and Rose exchanged friendly greetings and launched into conversation, while Lily and Kayla stood off to the side.

Petunia still hadn’t moved.

‘Erm, hello, Tuney,’ Lily said, noticing this. Petunia just sniffed and stuck her nose in the air. She turned away, her blonde hair swishing down her back as she did so.

No progress. Lily felt disappointed. She had been hoping maybe there would be more of a chance for them to cooperate . . .

She and Kayla exchanged a disappointed look, before turning back to their parents. Lily did her best to cheer herself up, and they exchanged final goodbyes, before the Evans family walked away, out of Kings Cross.

It had been a good year, Lily decided, and nothing that Petunia did could bring her down. Not really. She had too many other good things in her life for it to matter too much.


	34. Year 3 - Emotional Attachments

**_ 34 – Emotional Attachments _ **

** Sirius **

‘And you can stay up there! I don’t want to see you again for the rest of the day!’

Growling in frustration, Sirius slammed his bedroom door behind him and flung himself onto his bed. His mother’s yelling echoed in his ears, and he stuffed his fists in them as though to block it out. It didn’t work, of course.

It was better that he had returned to this place sooner rather than later. After Walburga had yelled herself hoarse, screeching that he was a disgrace to the Black name, life had resumed its usual pattern – fighting, more fighting, and long periods of pointedly ignoring each other. Orion was rarely in the picture now, as work was too demanding, but whenever he was here, he sided with his wife. The bruises on Sirius’ arms still hadn’t faded.

But he was used to it.

A sense of irritation building up inside him, Sirius sighed and sat up, pulling a motorbike magazine off the bedside table and riffling through the pages. But there was little point to this, as he had already looked through it so many times that he had it memorised. It did nothing to distract him.

He stood up and pushed open his window, closing his eyes as the breeze wafted over him, bringing in the faint smell of car exhausts from the street below.

There was only one more week left. Then he could go back to his real home and finally feel wanted again. He gave a small groan and rested his face in his hands. These had been _long_ holidays.

The door opened, and Regulus - the reason he was here in the first place – walked in.

‘She’s told Kreacher not to give you dinner,’ he said quietly.

Sirius just nodded. ‘I’m not surprised.’

‘I can bring you something,’ he offered. Sirius just shrugged slightly.

‘It doesn’t really matter. I’m not all that hungry.’

His brother stared him down. ‘That’s rubbish. You eat like a dog. You’re never _not_ hungry.’

He just shrugged again. ‘I’ll be fine, Reg. Really. I’ve been dealing with that cow as long as I can remember.’

‘I’ll bring you some food,’ he said.

Sirius just closed his eyes and smiled slightly. ‘Alright. Fine.’

As Regulus turned back to the door, Sirius stopped him. ‘Thanks, Reg.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Oi, freak!’ Petunia’s head appeared in Lily’s doorway, curled up in rags. Lily had a sudden, horrible flashback of when Claire and Imogen cut up her uniform for their hair curling needs.

‘What?’ Lily asked, feeling relatively hostile. Petunia _never_ came into her room any more.

Without saying anything, Petunia came in and went straight to her wardrobe, opening it and pulling various dresses and shirts off their hangers.

‘What are you doing?’ Lily questioned, crossing her arms and frowning a little.

‘I need some clothes,’ was Petunia’s short reply.

‘What _for?_ ’

‘None of your business!’ She had pulled a light blue dress out and was matching it up, muttering about ‘thirteen year olds and their undersized figures’.

‘Excuse you?’ Lily asked, feeling mildly offended.

‘Please,’ Petunia snorted. ‘You have none of – none of _this_.’ She gestured towards her bust and tossed the dress aside. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes.

‘And you do?’

‘I’m _fifteen_ , of course I do.’

Lily stepped forward and picked the dress off the floor, before sliding it neatly into its hanger and resting it on her bed. ‘What does that have to do with anything?’

Petunia didn’t answer, but instead pulled out a horrible, brown jumper Lily had owned since she was ten, giving it a derisive snort and tossing it behind her. It landed on Lily’s head.

With another heavy sigh, Lily folded this up too.

‘If you tell me _why_ you need my clothes, I can help you.’

‘I don’t need _your_ help,’ Petunia muttered.

‘But you need my clothes, don’t you?’

She didn’t have a response for this. Lily could see her mind working. Petunia was stubborn enough that she didn’t want anything to do with Lily, but apparently this was enough of a fashion emergency that she needed to give it some thought. Even though they fought so much nowdays, maybe it would be good for them to cooperate right now.

It was a very long moment before Petunia responded.

‘Fine,’ she breathed, turning to her sister. ‘I’m going on a date. I need something that will look nice on me. Unfortunately, mum hasn’t taken me shopping since January. I don’t like the look of my clothes anymore.’

‘Right,’ Lily said, striding forward. ‘I can help you now.’

Without letting another word come out of her sister’s mouth, she grabbed a beige, strapless dress and held it up. Petunia shook her head. With a _fair enough_ sort of nod, Lily hung it back up again. This time she grabbed a short red one. Petunia shook her head again.

The pattern went on like this for a while, so Lily decided to make conversation.

‘Who are you going out with, anyway?’

‘Patrick Weisley,’ Petunia said. ‘He’s in the grade above me.’

‘So, did he just ask you, or what?’

‘His friends dared him,’ she said absently. Lily frowned a little as she poked through her selection of skirts.

‘That’s a bit . . . well, how do you know he likes you if he was dared?’

Petunia shrugged slightly. ‘That’s what’s got me so bloody riled up.’

Lily pursed her lips as she held up a peach coloured top. Petunia shook her head again.

‘Well maybe that’s what you should try to work out first,’ she said. ‘If he actually likes you or not.’

Her sister didn’t reply, but had at least settled on some nice jeans and a silvery knit cardigan-like jumper that Lily had pulled out. She had pulled off her shirt and tugged on a black one underneath, before slipping on the cardigan. It was a rather cool day today, and she would need it.

Lily felt slightly surprised. They had spent more than a few minutes in the same room without the risk of World War Three breaking out.

‘You . . . you look lovely, Tuney,’ Lily said quietly. And she did. She had just pulled the rags out of her hair, making ringlets that cascaded down her back, and though she hadn't put on any makeup yet, she looked nice enough without it anyway.

Petunia looked at herself in silence, her expression emotionless. Then, all of a sudden she burst into tears.

‘Tuney!’ Lily cried, stunned at this sudden outburst.

‘It’s n-not f-f-fair,’ her sister sobbed. ‘He’s so p-perfect and I’m just . . . me – I-I’m just a blonde loser he asked out b-b-because he was dared to.’ She trailed off into heavy hiccupping, and Lily hesitantly touched her on the arm, expecting to be slapped. When she wasn’t she ran her hand up and down Petunia’s back in a soothing manner.

‘I’m sure it can’t be that bad, Tuney; if all else goes wrong, you can shout how much of a tosser he is in front of everyone just to humiliate him.’

‘But it _is_ that bad,’ Petunia insisted, drying her eyes. ‘The r-result of this is going to be worse than . . . than incident _you-know-what_.’

‘ _No_ ,’ Lily said, her tone something of extreme horror. ‘There is _nothing_ worse than the Great Lollipop Disaster of 1965. _Nothing_.’

‘This will be.’

‘Uh oh,’ Lily muttered. ‘Now we know the true gravity of this situation.’

Petunia glared at her a little. ‘This isn’t funny, Lily.’

‘I know,’ Lily said seriously. ‘That’s why this can’t fail.’

There was a call from downstairs, and Lily turned to her sister. ‘I have to go. But when we both get back, you need to tell me how it went. Okay?’

Petunia snorted, finally regaining her composure. ‘I’ll be fine, freak.’

Lily just sighed slightly and rolled her eyes, before going out the door.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Even after two years, I still haven’t gotten used to this place,’ Kayla’s mother commented idly as they walked down Diagon Alley. ‘All these things, unicorn horns, broomstick shops, owls, I just can’t believe this all seems so normal to everyone else.’

Kayla just laughed slightly. ‘Some of it’s still a little absurd to me,’ she admitted, ‘but I’m getting used to it.’

Caroline shook her head incredulously. ‘Can we find something relatively normal?’ she asked.

‘There’s an ice cream place just down here.’

Kayla and her mother made their way through the crowd towards the ice cream parlour, and when Kayla returned to the seats mum had found, she said, ‘Lily and Marley should be here soon. I think they’re coming by the floo network.’

‘The _what_ network?’

She shrugged and popped a spoon of ice cream in her mouth. ‘I’m not sure what it is, really. No one’s cared to tell me yet.’

‘Hey, Kayla!’

She looked up to see Marley and Lily making their way towards them, waving as they did so.

‘So you didn’t drag the entire clan with you, then?’ she asked, embracing both of her friends.

‘Well,’ Marley said, ‘James wrote and said he was going to try and kidnap Sirius, otherwise he would never end up coming back.’

‘Why would he think that?’

‘Because his mother’s a nasty, lazy cow, that’s what.’

Kayla sighed. ‘This is going to end badly, isn’t it?’

Lily nodded. ‘Probably.’

* * *

** Sirius **

‘You are a madman,’ Sirius said, grinning the entire time. ‘A _madman_ , Prongsie.’

‘That’s why you appreciate me so,’ James said smugly.

‘Where did you get the _hippogryphs_ from?’

‘These things are all over the place. It wasn’t hard.’

‘I love you, hippogryph,’ Sirius said, hugging the creature around the neck.

It was a cloudy day, and the pair of them were riding hippogryphs up so high that no one could hear or see them. James had promptly abducted Sirius just before daybreak, and if James was telling the truth, they would go to Diagon Alley to meet up with Marley, Remus and Peter.

‘If we don’t get caught, we are _so_ bloody lucky,’ James said, a grin stretched across his face.

‘So what if we do?’ Sirius laughed. ‘I don’t give a damn. I’m just happy to be out of that place.’

‘Which is why you adore me to the ends of the earth and have just taken on ambitions to become my personal slave.’

‘Nah,’ Sirius said, waving him off. ‘I don’t deserve such privileges, Prongs. I know Wormy would love to do that, though.’

‘Hmm.’ James tapped his chin as the hippogryphs circled around, playfully snapping at each other as their riders hung on. ‘Nah, I’m nice to Pete. I’ll let him off.’

They both laughed, and the two bird-like creatures dove into a dive. Sirius and James yelled, clinging on even tighter as the land surrounding Potter Manor came into view, and Sirius felt a giddy grin spread across his face.

 _He was home_.

‘Okay, time to land, buddies!’ James called. The hippogryphs seemed to know what he was talking about, and both took into a dive. Sirius let out a cry of exhilaration. He hadn’t felt so free in a long time.

Before he knew it, they had touched down on the ground. The trip across London had been far quicker than he wanted it to be, and now it was over. Feeling a little disappointed, Sirius slid off his hippogryph, gave it a pat on the head, and smiled at it.

‘All right,’ James said, rolling out his shoulders. ‘Let’s go. I kinda told Marley we’d be there soon enough.’

‘And what about these guys?’ Sirius asked, gesturing to the hippogryphs. James shrugged.

‘Let ‘em go, I guess.’

Sirius felt his eyes widen. ‘ _No!_ ’ he cried, flinging his arms around his creature’s neck. ‘ _Noooooooo . . ._ We can’t leave him! _’_

 _‘_ We’re gonna have to,’ James said exasperatedly.

‘NO WE BLOODY WELL _DON’T_.’

‘Yes we do . . .’

‘Prongsie . . .’

‘No, Sirius.’

‘JAMES.’

‘SIRIUS.’

‘I’M NOT LEAVING THIS HIPPOGRYPH.’

‘YES YOU ARE.’

‘NO. NO. NO.’

‘YES, YES, _YES.’_

‘SHUT YOUR GOB, JAMES.’

‘Why are you insisting on talking so loudly?’

‘BECAUSE I CAN.’

‘We’re going, Sirius. Now.’

Quite promptly, he burst into tears. James just looked on, a little exasperated, a little shocked. But he had almost every right to be.

Sirius Black had developed an emotional attachment to a hippogryph.

* * *

 

‘You did _what?’_

In all of his life, Sirius had never seen Marlene McKinnon so gobsmacked. Or for that matter, lost for words.

James crossed his arms and grinned. ‘You heard me.’

She shook her head incredulously. ‘When you said “kidnapping”, I thought it would be in a relatively normal manner, meaning floo in, grab Sirius by the arm, and floo out again. But _hippogryphs?_ ’

‘They seemed like a pretty good idea at the time,’ James said, shrugging. ‘And besides, we didn’t get caught.’

‘And what did _Sirius_ think of all of this?’ Lily asked, while poking through her shopping bags for something.

Sirius had been staring moodily at the ground ever since they had arrived at Diagon Alley.

‘Well?’ Marley asked.

‘I think he fell in love with a hippogryph,’ James muttered. Immediately, Sirius punched him in the arm. James let out a loud cry of objection and rubbed the now-tender spot, glaring at him.

‘I think you might be telling the truth there,’ Marley muttered, studying Sirius.

Sirius just grumbled. ‘Go away, you sod. Just because _you’ve_ never encountered such an amazing creature . . .’

Marley laughed. Rather loudly.

‘You’re mad, Sirius. Absolutely bonkers.’

‘And who’s going to contradict the madman?’ she asked.

‘Me. Of course.’

Sirius gave a heavy sigh. ‘You see, this is why I don’t like you.’

‘Oh, psh. You adore me to bits and pieces, and don’t even try to bloody deny it, Black.’

 


	35. Year 3 - Run, Piggy!

**_ 35 – Run, Piggy! _ **

** Remus **

‘That cat still hates me, doesn’t it?’

Kayla, who was clutching a fluffy ball of Chance to her chest, shrugged. ‘Probably. If you want to find out and maybe lose half of your face in the process, go ahead.’

Remus shook his head. ‘I’m good, thanks.’

‘So . . .’ she said slowly. ‘Wanna find a compartment?’

‘That sounds like a smart idea,’ Remus said with a little nod.

So the pair of them made their way up the train, trunks being dragged behind them, until they finally found a spot in an empty compartment. Kayla dumped her cat on the seat, and before she had the chance to object, Remus tossed her trunk up onto the rack for her.

She glared at him. ‘I was fine to do that myself, Remus.’

He grinned cheekily back at her. ‘I was trying out a little something called “being a gentleman”.’

‘Yeah, and that’s some pretty unnecessary crap unless the situation calls for it,’ she muttered, throwing herself down onto the seat behind her, lying down and sprawling all over it, staring up at the ceiling. Remus sat opposite her, still grinning.

Then there was an incredibly long moment of nothing being said.

‘Well, apparently we can’t do the usual “how was your holidays” business seeing that we saw each other last week,’ Remus finally said, leaning back and engaging himself in a glaring competition with Chance.

‘Nope,’ Kayla replied, popping the ‘p’.

Cue more ceiling staring on Kayla’s part.

 _This is awkward_ , Remus thought.

‘So, er,’ Kayla said, turning her head to look at him. ‘You seen any of the others around?’

Remus shook his head. ‘I don’t even know if they’re here yet. They probably are, but haven’t come this way.’

‘Fair enough.’

Since he had nothing else to do, Remus stood up and looked out of the window. There were still lots of people on the platform, mainly families of students, and Remus looked around, seeing if he could find anyone he knew.  

‘You know, I think I see James out there,’ he commented. At that, Kayla perked up.

‘Marley, too?’

‘I don’t know. I can’t see her.’

‘Hmm,’ she said, getting up to look out the window with him. ‘She’ll turn up soon enough. She’s impossible to miss.’

‘You’re right, there,’ Remus said.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, the two of them heard something they recognised.

‘Run, piggy, run!’

Remus and Kayla looked up to see Marley, who was on Sirius’ shoulders, shoot past their compartment.

There was a long moment of silence, as they took that in.

‘Was she - ?’ Kayla started.

Remus gave a slow nod, feeling more than a little concerned. ‘Yes. She was.’

Kayla slid open the compartment door and looked outside. ‘Oh Merlin.’

He looked out with her. Sirius was still galloping up and down the corridors at lightning speed, and already hurtling back their way. Marley (still on his shoulders), had wrapped her arms around his neck to stay on, and was letting out a noise somewhat like ‘ _Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!’_

Kayla had to jerk Remus back by the collar so their heads weren’t taken off when the duo shot past.

‘Go, piggy, go, go!’ Marley shouted.

‘She is a _maniac_ ,’ Remus breathed as he watched them disappear through the crowd still gathered in the corridor.

‘Maniac doesn’t cover half of it,’ Kayla replied, her eyes as round as saucers. ‘We’re lucky she isn’t a pyrotechnic too.’

‘Don’t give her any ideas.’

‘I’m not planning to.’

Remus spared another look outside. He couldn’t see either Marley or Sirius, but he could definitely hear them. The shouts of ‘Piggy, piggy!’ were echoing down the corridor, over the sea of people.

‘Well,’ Kayla said faintly. ‘We definitely know where they are.’

The train jerked suddenly, and Kayla slipped backwards, not expecting the movement. Remus caught her before her head hit the door, and helped her back to her feet.

‘Thanks,’ she said quietly, blushing to the roots of her hair.

Down the corridor, coming considerably closer, there was a scream and a loud thump. They both exchanged a glance and looked out, once again.

It seemed the train, which was now gathering speed, had overbalanced Sirius by moving. Both he and Marley were sprawled out on the floor, jammed between two compartments and blocking the walkway. The two of them were tangled together in such a way that if they hadn’t had the sort of relationship they did, it would have been awkward. But neither of them were even miffed. Sirius just got to his feet and hauled Marley with him, who brushed herself off as though nothing had even happened.

‘Alright, you two idiots get over here before you kill someone,’ came a voice from down the train. James was standing there with Peter, arms folded and looking like he was about to burst into laughter. His eyes travelled over the heads of the other two and spotted Remus. ‘Moony!’

Remus just sighed – he wasn’t letting up with that, was he? ‘Hello, Prongs,’ he said wearily, just to make James happy. James grinned, grabbed Marley and Sirius each by a wrist, and practically skipped down the corridor to Remus.

‘And how is your lady friend?’ he asked, looking at Kayla. Kayla just cocked her head at him and raised an eyebrow.

‘The lady friend is okay, methinks,’ James said hastily at her look, backtracking enormously.

‘ _Me_ thinks the cat is around here, no?’ Sirius said, casting a wary glance around the compartment. Kayla pointed mutely to the seat just beside him. Sirius let out a cry of surprise and jumped backwards, straight onto Marley’s foot.

‘ _Merlin,_ you _idiot!_ ’ she shouted, slipping sideways onto the seat opposite. ‘It’s just a bloody _cat!_ ’

‘It’s out to get me!’ Sirius howled.

‘All it wants is a damn scratch behind the ears!’

That quietened him. Mutely, Sirius sank down on to the seat beside Marley, watching Chance innocently groom himself.

‘You’re such a baby,’ Marley grumbled, punching Sirius in the shoulder.

‘Am not!’ he responded childishly, punching her back.

‘Well you’re acting like one,’ she replied, matter-of-factly.

‘You’re a cow, McKinnon.’

Marley opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It slid open to reveal a timid looking first year, holding three scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbons.

‘Excuse me,’ he said, ‘but are any of you Remus Lupin, Kayla Edwards or Lily Evans?’

‘Evans isn’t here,’ James said immediately, looking rather disgruntled by that sudden realisation. Remus and Kayla however, each took an invitation. Remus unrolled his, feeling quite confused.

 _Remus,_ it read.

_I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C._

_Sincerely, Professor H.E.F. Slughorn._

Remus looked up, slightly bewildered, and saw that Kayla was sporting the same expression.

‘I’ve just been asked to _lunch_ ,’ she muttered. ‘Does the same go for you, Rem?’

He nodded.

‘Who by?’ Sirius asked incredulously.

‘Slughorn,’ Remus said. ‘But I’ve heard that he holds those parties through the year. Maybe he’s decided that we’re old enough to be turning up now.’

‘I think that might be it,’ Kayla said, looking scrutinisingly at her note. ‘Because he’s sent one to Lily, too.’

‘What, you’ve been invited to that bloody _Slug Club_?’ Marley asked, looking mildly revolted.

‘It seems so,’ Remus said flatly, shooting his invitation a look of annoyance.

‘Well, we should go,’ Kayla said. ‘It might not be that bad.’

‘You’re kidding yourself, Shortie,’ Sirius said, a grin starting to spread across his face. ‘When you two get back, you’re telling us how many people he’s planning on showing you off to.’

‘Damn it,’ Remus heard Kayla mutter quietly.

But regardless, the two of them got to their feet. Kayla dumped Chance on Sirius, and they left the compartment to a lot of screaming.

‘I don’t really feel like being a trophy of any sort,’ Kayla said quietly as they walked along the corridor.

‘Neither do I,’ Remus admitted. ‘Serves us right for doing well in Potions.’

‘If we were like Marley and caught on fire all of the time, we wouldn’t be stuck with this problem.’

Remus shrugged slightly. ‘I’d rather pass the subject, actually.’

Kayla snorted. ‘Yeah. Good point.’

Slughorn greeted them jovially as they pushed open the door to the compartment. He took up at least a quarter of the space, and looking past him, Remus saw Lily awkwardly wedged into the corner. She gave them a weak smile, which behind that said _help me!_ Everyone else looked just as uncomfortable.

Kayla, who was clearly doing her best to be polite, sat down as quickly as possible, taking a small portion of the crystallised pineapple Slughorn immediately offered her. He seemed to have a large quantity of the stuff, and clearly favoured it.

Remus slotted himself in next to Kayla, silently apologising for being completely pressed up against her side to the point where it was a little awkward. She mouthed _it’s fine_ , and pretended to be interested in the conversations their Potions Professor was having with his other favourites.

‘Now, Miss Greengrass,’ Slughorn said, addressing a dark haired Slytherin sixth year. ‘I hear you won an award over the holidays?’

‘Oh, yes, sir,’ Greengrass – Remus was sure her actual name was Amity – replied. ‘But just a minor one regarding Transfiguration. I’m sure it’s nothing comparted to _your_ achievements.’ It was evident she was trying to direct the conversation away from herself.

Slughorn swelled at the praise, which wasn’t helping the already cramped conditions. ‘Why, thank you, my dear. But don’t go calling anything Transfiguration-related “minor” in front of Professor McGonagall, now,’ he said, wagging a thick finger and chuckling. Amity gave a forced smile, and everyone else pretended to find the comment funny.

Remus sighed internally. It was going to be a long journey.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

The compartment was in chaos. Sirius had overturned almost everything in his attempts to get away from the cat, who seemed to be insisting on butting its head against his ankles. Marley was certain her ears would start bleeding soon because of the shrill noise coming from Sirius’ mouth.

‘SHUT UP!’ she shrieked, balling her fists up and stuffing them into the said body part. ‘ _MERLIN_ , BLACK!’

James and Peter were suffering just as much. Attempting to quieten things down, James lunged at Chance, who saw him coming. The cat darted out of the way, leaving James to slam into the floor with a heavy _oomph_. Peter just balled himself up in the corner in an attempt to block out as much sound as possible.

‘ _GET IT AWAY FROM ME!_ ’ Sirius wailed, doing some strange sort of jig up on the seat. Her eyes starting to water in pain from the damage her ears were copping, Marley grabbed Chance by the scruff of the neck and threw him at James to hold.

It was actually quite funny how immediately the noise stopped. Marley glared at Sirius.

‘The bloody cat was _not_ hurting you, Black!’ she snarled, putting a hand up to one ear and drawing it away to ensure it wasn’t bleeding.

‘It was hurting my heart,’ Sirius whimpered pathetically, his eyes ridiculously large.

‘No it wasn’t, Padfoot,’ James grumbled. ‘This cat is a ball of fur with claws. That’s it. He can cause you no harm besides clawing you to death. End. Of. Discussion.’

If possible, Sirius looked even more pathetic. ‘It clawed _me_ once,’ he whispered.

‘Because he got _startled_ ,’ Marley said emphasising every syllable. ‘Not because he’s got anything against you. It’s Remus he hates.’

‘How do you know that?’ James asked, looking at Marley.

‘I’ve seen it in action,’ she replied simply. ‘Now turn around, you perverts, I’m getting changed.’

* * *

 

Remus and Kayla returned when it got dark, both looking thoroughly disgruntled. The visit to Slughorn’s carriage was clearly an experience they did not want to repeat.

Marley, who had finally decided to sit beside Sirius again now that he had stopped screaming, looked up as the train started slowing down.

‘We’re here,’ she said, even though it was quite obvious. ‘Kayla, please contain your animal before Sirius has a fit again. I’d rather my eardrums stayed intact.’

Kayla just laughed and stuffed Chance into his carrier, but Marley was serious. Who would have known guys could get so high pitched?

Sirius got up. ‘Well, I guess we’re off, then.’ He was about to go out the door when Marley stopped him.

‘Nah uh, wait. Piggy back time.’

And Marley got up onto the seat and vaulted up onto his back. Sirius staggered a little as she landed on him, but straightened up almost immediately, now grinning from ear to ear.

‘Go, piggy, go!’ Marley shouted, and he took off.

Everyone had the sense to get out of the way. When they zipped past Lily and Snape, who were just coming out of their compartment, Marley shot a grin at her friend, laughing at the look of incredulity on her face.

Sirius bounded off the train, and Marley _oomphed_ as her chest abruptly smacked into his back, momentarily knocking the air out of her lungs. Next thing she knew, Sirius was already making a beeline for the carriages. He stopped right before the nearest empty one.

‘ _Aaaaaand_ , deposit time!’ he cried. He whirled, somehow slipping Marley off his back and into his arms, before tossing her into the carriage. Marley let out a yelp of indignation as she landed on her bum with enough impact to send a jolt up her spine.

‘How you managed that, Black,’ she muttered, looking up at him as he grinned down at her, ‘I’ll never know.’

‘I’m just a professional at everything,’ Sirius said, puffing out his chest. Marley reached out and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the carriage.

* * *

 

Sadly, there were no cause for piggy back rides at the Welcoming Feast. Sure, Marley got to stuff herself full of food, and not be surprised by the fact that they had a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (a lanky, balding man by the last name of Johnson), but that was never equivalent to acting like a little kid. Strangely enough ( _not_ ), it was moments like that she got the most satisfaction out of. Some days she really had no idea if she was five or thirteen.

Oh well. To her, there was no difference, really. All she had now was Mother Nature insisting that she was _supposed_ to be a woman.

But she’d be damned if she started acting like one.

As the crowds of students streamed from the Great Hall, Marley tracked down Sirius one last time. She had left Kayla and Lily to talk about what additional subjects they would be taking, as she honestly couldn’t care less for herself.

‘Sirius!’ she cried, running forward. This time he was ready, and set both of his feet firmly on the ground, ready for her. Marley took a running leap and flung herself onto his back, before crawling up onto his shoulders. ‘Run, piggy, run!’ she cried.

Because he was _that_ awesome, Sirius also thought this was one of the best pastimes in the world at the present moment. He tore up the marble staircase, and Marley was bloody glad that he was fit.


	36. Year 3 - Escapading Isn't A Word

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late update.

**_ 36 – Escapading Isn’t A Word _ **

** Kayla **

‘Am I allowed to ask why James and Sirius are wandering around the common room beneath brightly spotted sheets?’ Kayla asked as she stuck her head through the door to the boys’ dormitory. It was two weeks since they had returned to Hogwarts and there had been a few odd things happening in regards to those two, but Kayla felt that this sight was strange enough that she needed to ask about it.

Remus, who was half way through pulling off his tie, raised his eyebrows and crossed the dormitory over to her. ‘What did you say?’

‘Your friends have mental issues.’

Remus blinked. ‘Is that supposed to be news to me?’

‘Well, to top it off, Peter is hurrying around after them, claiming that the spotty ghost lord is demanding their presence. Then Sirius replies by saying that they only answer the call of the _purple_ spotty ghost lord.’ She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

‘Is there such _thing_ as a spotty ghost lord, let alone a purple one?’ Remus asked slowly.

‘No. But you should get them doing something productive. Their _homework,_ perhaps. McGonagall gave us mountains today.’  
Remus grimaced. ‘That’s not going to happen.’

She laughed a little. ‘Funny, that. But come on; you should see this.’

Remus sighed, then undid the top button of his shirt, before tossing his tie onto his bed and walking down the stairs with Kayla.

‘Oh Merlin.’

The spotty-ghost-lord business had turned into a full-blown ghost chase. Peter was waving around a poker he had taken from the fireplace, while James and Sirius overturned tables and chairs, running away from him. The sheets were still over their heads.

‘YOU MUST OBEY THE LORD OF SPOTS!’ Peter cried.

‘ _NOOOOOOOOO!’_ The noise came from beneath Sirius’ sheet. ‘RECEIVE ORDERS FROM THE PURPLE LORD FIRST!’

‘YOU’LL NEVER TAKE US ALIVE!’ James shouted, his voice muffled through a mouthful of sheet. ‘NEVER!’

‘RAAAA!’ Peter put on a burst of speed, still sprinting after them, and both James and Sirius let out loud, girlish screams. James tripped on the edge of the rug before the fireplace, and Sirius stumbled on his ankles, falling as well. They went down with a lot of yelling, and Peter dove on top of them, triggering a lot of moaning. Most of the other common room inhabitants (not many – they had begun clearing out when this all started) were watching on with incredulous looks on their faces.

‘They’re madmen,’ Remus said, his eyes shining with tears of laughter. ‘ _Madmen.’_

‘Remind me why you spare them your time?’ Kayla managed through clutching a stitch in her stomach.

‘Beats me.’ He walked forward, so he was standing over his pile of friends. ‘What _are_ you lot up to?’

James looked up. ‘Hey, Moony,’ he grunted through obvious efforts to lift the weight on top of him. He turned to look at Sirius, who was sporting no desire whatsoever to get off his back. ‘Merlin, Padfoot, you’re so _fat_. _Move,_ would’ja?’

Sirius pulled a face of horror. ‘How _dare_ you, Prongs!’ he cried. ‘We’re brothers! You can’t say that!’

‘I just did,’ James said flatly, now wriggling about on the rug like a worm. ‘Now MOVE!’

With one swift motion, he rolled sideways, effectively dumping Sirius and Peter on the ground, leaving him able to get up.

‘Now,’ he said, brushing himself off, ‘Moony and I are going on an adventure. If you two care to join us, follow along.’

‘Excuse you?’ Remus spluttered. ‘I have – _homework -’_

‘Which can wait,’ James finished smoothly. ‘Let’s go, lads.’

He disappeared out the portrait hole without another word. Sirius and Peter followed in suit.

Remus shook his head incredulously, looking at Kayla.

‘Go,’ she said. ‘I’ll look over your homework for you.’

‘Don’t do that,’ Remus said. ‘I’ll do it -’

‘Later. You’ll do it later. Now go and have some fun.’ She grinned at him. ‘You’re going to start getting moody soon – your time of the month’s coming up. Enjoy yourself while you still can.’

Remus crossed his arms and pursed his lips, evidently thinking. He then looked up, saw Kayla’s expression which was daring him to object, then shrugged.

‘I suppose blowing up statues couldn’t be _too_ bad,’ he mused.

‘Good boy,’ Kayla said, patting him on the top of the head. ‘Now go. That’s an order.’

Remus gave a mock salute. ‘Yes ma’am.’

He scurried off after his friends.

* * *

 

** James **

‘I wanna get Snivellus _real_ good this time,’ James said, as the four of them walked down the corridor towards the dungeons.

‘Is it necessary?’ Remus asked, but he was cut off almost immediately by Sirius nodding violently and streaming out a list of ideas.

‘Exploding breakfast – doxys in his bed – a horklump in his trunk – shampoo his hair – hex his shoes so all he can do is tap dance for an entire week – toss him off the Astronomy tower -’

‘I like that one,’ James put in.

‘ _NO_ , James,’ Remus said immediately.

But Sirius continued on. ‘ – Confund him – turn his entire dormitory hot pink – hex him so everything he says to Evans comes out as an insult -’

James grabbed him by the arm, wide eyed. ‘You’re a genius, Padfoot!’ he said excitedly. ‘One of the stupidest geniuses on this planet!’

Sirius looked pleased, but after a moment he realised there was an insult in there too. ‘ _Hey!_ ’

‘We can sneak in, hex him, and sneak out again,’ James continued, ‘and his “friendship” with Evans will go to trash – he doesn’t deserve her anyway, the slime, and I can have a party because it leaves all opportunities with her wide open!’

‘Obsessed, much?’ Remus muttered, but James was too enthusiastic to care. He just pointedly ignored him.

‘Just one problem,’ Peter said quietly. James paused, and turned to look at him.

‘Oh?’ He was using a disbelieving tone, and an eyebrow had crept up his forehead.

‘Well, yeah,’ Peter said, shrugging a little. ‘I mean, we know where they are – in the dungeons, that is – but do we know how to get in?’

‘We’ll figure it out,’ Sirius said lightly, brushing it off. ‘And if we can’t do it tonight, we’ll hex Snivelly in the morning.’

‘Atta boy, Padfoot,’ James praised. ‘Now let’s go. We don’t have all night.’

‘Can’t we do homework first?’ Remus mumbled, but once again, his comment went ignored. The four boys went down into the dungeons, and right before they started walking into one of the passages branching out, James fished around in his back pocket, before withdrawing the Invisibility Cloak. Without another word, he tossed it over the four of them, and they continued on their way. Sirius was now navigating, because as he claimed, Regulus had talked about the whereabouts of the common room before.

When they reached a blank stretch of wall, Sirius stopped.

‘Bugger,’ he muttered.

James looked inquiringly at him. ‘What?’

‘There’s a password,’ Sirius grumbled. ‘I just remembered.’

‘We can guess,’ Peter offered.

‘Yeah,’ James put in. ‘It’s bound to be something Slytherin-ish . . . or pureblood-ish, for that matter.’

Remus groaned from behind him. ‘ _James . . ._ ’

‘Uh, Slytherin is awesome?’ Sirius tried, looking up at the wall. It sounded like a question, the way he said it.

A low, echoing sound reverberated around them, before fading off down the corridor.

‘That doesn’t sound good,’ Remus murmured.

‘ . . . purebloods are awesome?’ Sirius tried again.

There was another noise, and James whirled around, looking to see where it was coming from.

‘Apple pie?’ This came from Peter, and Sirius whirled on him.

‘What kind of a password is _that?’_ he asked incredulously. But apparently three times struck out.

A loud, siren-like wail rang around them, echoing off the damp stone.

‘Run!’ James yelled, and the four of them bolted, before anyone would come out of the door and stumble into them. They tore up the staircase out of the dungeons and down corridors, not looking where they were going. James shoved open a door and finally they all piled inside, lost for breath.

‘That was close,’ Remus panted. ‘Who would have known they had a security system like that?’

‘Damn it, Wormtail,’ Sirius grumbled, taking in heaving gasps. ‘Why did you have to waste a password attempt?’

‘We wouldn’t have – have gotten it – anyway,’ James forced out, plopping down on the floor.

‘Well -’

‘What are _you_ doing here?’ The four of them whirled around to see Moaning Myrtle hovering just above them, looking at them irritably.

‘Hello, Myrtle,’ Remus tried feebly, but Myrtle was looking elsewhere. The grumpy expression faded off her face when she saw someone.

‘Oh, hello James,’ she said, grinning a little. James raised his eyebrows.

‘Erm, hi . . . Myrtle.’

‘What brings you here?’ she asked, and James could have sworn a silvery blush crossed her cheeks.

‘Uh . . . we’re . . . escapading.’

‘That isn’t a word,’ Remus muttered. But James shot him a look, before looking back up at Myrtle. He hadn’t the slightest idea about where in the castle they were, but maybe he could work this to his advantage.

‘Say, Myrtle,’ he started, and she widened her eyes a little, regarding him. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know which way the Gryffindor tower is, would you?’

Myrtle blinked, before saying. ‘Well, I _could_ show you . . . but . . .’ She trailed off, cocking her head to the side. 'I'd like it if you were dead. Then I could see you all the time.’

‘I . . .’ James didn’t know whether to feel offended or flattered. ‘Thanks?’

‘You’re very handsome,’ she added, the blush intensifying. Sirius made a noise of outrage.

‘ _Excuse you!_ ’ he spluttered. ‘ _I’m_ the attractive one here!’

Myrtle just brushed him off. ‘You’re too good,’ she said absently. ‘Even Olive Hornby wouldn’t have to guts to talk to the likes of you.’

Judging by his expression, Sirius was clearly just as baffled as James felt.

‘Um, Myrtle,’ Remus said, finally stepping forward. ‘We really need to get back to Gryffindor tower. James can always come and pay you a visit in your bathroom – he’d be more than happy to.’

James shot Remus a look of horror, but the other boy continued looking up at the ghost imploringly.

‘Fine,’ Myrtle sighed. ‘Come on then, boys - _James_.’

Then she did something that made James feel like his insides had been fried. She winked.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Hey, Marley, have you seen the boys?’ Kayla asked as Marley surfaced from the bathroom later that night.

She shook her head. ‘Nope. Was I supposed to have?’

Kayla just shrugged, and continued the elaborate braid she was currently weaving Lily’s hair into. ‘No. They just went off earlier, and I was wondering if they’d come back yet.’

‘I can go check,’ Marley offered. Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared out the door.

‘Anyway, Lily,’ Kayla said. ‘What were you just saying?’

Lily had been sitting on the floor in front of Kayla’s bed while she was doing her hair, relaying a story about her latest spat with Snape.

‘I guess it doesn’t really matter,’ Lily mumbled, ‘but I hate those boys he hangs around with. They’re _evil_ , Kayla. Not stupid, like Potter or Sirius, _evil_. I saw them tormenting a first year earlier, and Sev was with them, egging them on. I yelled at him for it, and his friends . . . they called me that word again.’

Kayla pursed her lips, tying the braid off with a hairband. ‘They did that to me the other day, too. Yelling every “mudblood” related insult they could think of. I rather graciously told them to go and bother someone who actually cared, and they threatened to hex me.’

Lily turned to look at her friend, wide eyed. ‘ _You never told me that!_ ’

Kayla shrugged offhandedly, getting to her feet. ‘It’s not that important now. They do that to everyone like us. You know that.’

‘I know,’ Lily said, also standing up. ‘But you should tell a teacher. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that.’

‘I’m not five, Lily,’ Kayla said tiredly. ‘I don’t tell on people. I never have, actually. But there is absolutely no satisfaction I’m going to get out of doing that, and in reality all I’ll be doing is signing my death sentence.’

‘Don’t talk like that,’ Lily said, frowning and crossing her arms. Kayla was about to reply, but Marley poked her head back in, her cheeks pink with laughter.

‘Oi, you two. You’ve gotta come look at this.’

Kayla and Lily exchanged a glance full of raised eyebrows, but followed Marley down the stairs.

Curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace were all four of the Marauders, limbs tangled together, and quite obviously asleep. Sirius and James were shirtless, and all of them were bare footed.

‘Aww,’ Kayla said, before she could stop the sound from coming out of her mouth. A wide grin spread across her face. Marley was in fits of laughter, practically clutching a stitch in her side, and Lily was taking in the sight, wide eyed.

Kayla approached the boys, mainly looking at Remus, and sat down beside his head, still smiling. They all looked so peaceful and angelic – not like the ferals they were by day.

‘Lily, I’m grabbing your polaroid camera,’ Marley said, and dashed up the stairs. Lily stood just above the boys, and though she was obviously trying to refrain from doing so, her eyes kept wandering to James’ bare torso – he had pretty nice abs for a thirteen year old. A heavy blush settled in her cheeks, and Kayla pretended she wasn’t noticing. She just focused her attention on Remus.

‘I’m surprised they don’t snore,’ she commented, just as Marley bounded back down the staircase.

‘Me too,’ Marley said, snapping picture after picture, and collecting all of the photographs into a pile. ‘But this is gonna be fantastic blackmail.’ She was sporting a wicked grin on her face. ‘They’re _cuddling_.’

Lily laughed. ‘Merlin, Potter’s so much better when he’s asleep. He doesn’t _talk_.’

Marley cackled, prodding Sirius’ backside with her toe. When there was no response, she added, ‘And they sleep like _logs_.’ She gathered all of her photographs together, eyeing them evilly, and said, ‘Right. Well, that’s that, then. They can cop the results of this in the morning.’

‘Wait,’ Lily said. She crouched down beside James, and slipped her wand out of her pocket. She muttered an incantation, and the words _World’s Biggest Git_ wrote themselves across his forehead. She then waved her wand again, and they started flashing bright colours.

Marley whooped and clapped her hands appreciatively as Lily stood up and admired her handiwork, while Kayla just grinned and rolled her eyes.

‘That shouldn’t come off for an entire _week_ ,’ Lily said with a smile. ‘Unless, of course, he begs me down on hands and knees for the counter curse. Alright, ladies. I think we’re done here, no?’

And with that, the three of them went back up the staircase, leaving the boys sleeping on the rug.

 


	37. Year 3 - Because He Is A Pansy

**_ 37 – Because He Is A Pansy _ **

** Sirius **

‘ARGH!’

Sirius, who was dozing and on the point of being half awake, shot up immediately and rammed into Remus, who was half sprawled on top of him. Peter and James were already sitting up, and Peter looked as though he were attempting to rub something off James’ forehead.

‘Whazgoinon?’ Sirius slurred, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Remus groaned and rolled over, his head on Sirius’ legs.

‘Someone’s gone and hexed James,’ Peter said, licking his thumb, and still apparently trying to get something off of James. James made a noise somewhat like ‘Eugh!’ and leaned away before Peter could touch him again.

‘It’s horrible, Sirius,’ James said pitifully. He turned, and finally looked Sirius face-to-face.

Sirius burst into laughter as he took in the brightly flashing words splashed across James’ face. James let out a wail of despair and face-planted into Remus’ back, who had rolled over again, eyes still squeezed tightly shut. Remus yelped as James’ skull hit his spine with a loud crack, and was instantly wide awake.

‘That _hurt_ ,’ he muttered, massaging the vertebrate and scowling at James. It took him a moment to realise what was different before he too was laughing.

‘Someone got you _good_ ,’ he said, grinning and sitting up to get a proper look at him. He looked at Sirius. ‘It was you, wasn’t it?’

Sirius immediately threw his hands up in defence. ‘I did _not!_ This is news to me!’

‘Who would have done it then?’ Peter asked.

‘Marley,’ James and Sirius said immediately.

‘It’s nice to know you have such little faith in me, jackasses,’ came a lofty voice from the girls’ staircase. Marley was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and smirking. ‘And for your information, it actually wasn’t me. In the terms of World’s Biggest Git, I would have hexed Sirius instead.’

Sirius poked his tongue out at her, while James looked at his feet, apparently deep in thought. Then his head suddenly shot up, and he whispered the name, ‘ _Evans_.’

Sirius looked at him pointedly. ‘Now is not the time for obsessing, Prongs.’

‘No,’ James said, with some violent hand gestures. ‘ _Evans_ hexed me.’ He looked over at Marley. ‘Right?’

‘No comment,’ Marley said shortly. With that, she strode across the common room, aimed a kick at Sirius as she passed, and disappeared out the portrait hole.

‘It was Evans,’ Sirius said finally.

‘That sneaky bird!’ James cried, throwing his arms up. ‘I’ll bet only _she_ knows how to get this off, too.’ He pointed at his forehead.

‘Probably,’ Remus said, getting to his feet. He bent his arms above his head and leaned to the side, stretching. ‘Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.’

‘Don’t worry, Prongs,’ Sirius said, looking at James. ‘I know what’ll cheer you up. We can go hex Snivellus, and then we can get Evans to _un_ -hex you. Sound good?’

James’ head shot up at this. ‘I forgot about that,’ he said. ‘We never _did_ hex Snape, did we?’

Remus sighed. ‘Are we _still_ doing that?’

‘No reason why we shouldn’t,’ Peter said with an offhanded shrug.

‘Funny, because I can think of plenty,’ Remus grumbled.

‘And forthwith, any objection Mr Remus Lupin provides will be ignored,’ Sirius said, pulling James to his feet. ‘Because he is a pansy.’

Remus scowled.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Lily and Snape are officially on the outs again,’ Marley said, sliding into the grandstands beside Kayla. ‘Big time.’

Kayla turned her head away from the empty Quidditch field and looked at her. ‘Oh?’

Marley nodded. ‘Lily’s told me to bugger off, but I think he said something to her.’

Kayla felt a crease appear between her eyebrows. ‘Ouch.’

‘Yeah. But have Sirius and James turned up yet? Tryouts start in like, half an hour.’

‘That’s what I’m waiting for, no?’ Kayla asked, waving her hands wildly in the direction of the pitch. ‘But what did Snape say to her? Lily, I mean.’

Marley chewed on a lock of hair. ‘From what I’ve gathered, a bucket load of insults.’

‘What?’ Kayla did up the buttons on her jumper to block out the cool wind blowing over them. ‘That doesn’t sound like him at all. He wouldn’t say that to _Lily_.’

‘Well, apparently he did,’ she said grimly. ‘Lil’s in tears over it, but she won’t let me do anything about it. So I just fed her up with a massive bowl of custard and left her at it.’

‘You should have stayed anyway,’ Kayla said, frowning. Marley shook her head.

‘If Lily tells me to go, I’m not gonna go against her. Mental wreck or not, she can still hex.’

Kayla gave her a flat, disbelieving stare. Marley stared right back. Finally, with a sigh, the other girl gave up.

‘At least tell me that Lily responded well?’

For the first time in half an hour, Marley cracked a grin. ‘She hexed the bejesus out of him. She was already in a foul mood because James was begging her to take the writing off his head, and didn’t go about it in the nicest of ways. Then when Snape marches on up to her and starts spewing out insults, she snaps. Okay,’ she said, shrugging a little, ‘maybe I’m over exaggerating. She didn’t hex the _bejesus_ out of him. She just . . . actually . . . I can’t even remember.’ Marley crossed her arms and frowned, thinking. ‘Damn it. Memory span of a goldfish.’

A solitary eyebrow travelled up Kayla’s forehead. ‘Marley, Snape’s not the sort to just go around and insult Lily, I’m sure. He follows the girl around like a lost puppy. Why would he randomly start insulting her?’

Marley shrugged. ‘Beats me.’

Kayla seemed to be deep in thought, before she gasped and looked up. ‘Did he call her a -?’

‘ _No_ , Merlin, no!’ Marley said hastily. ‘He didn’t go that far, thank god.’

‘Right,’ Kayla said. ‘Because she _would_ have hexed him if he called her that. I’m surprised he hasn’t yet.’

‘It beats me,’ Marley muttered. ‘But it’s a matter of time. The time before he does is running out. I know it. Because nothing will change the fact that Severus Snape is bastard-ish devil-spawn.’ A heavy scowl settled over her features, and she crossed her arms. Judging by Kayla’s expression, she also felt the same. 

* * *

 

** Sirius **

Sirius paced back and forth nervously, hands grasped behind his back as James tugged on his Quidditch robes.

‘Can’t you hurry up, Prongs?’ he moaned. ‘My life could very well depend on this.’

‘I’m sure it’s not _dependant_ ,’ James muttered, but the rest of his sentence was muffled as his head disappeared into the depths of the material.

‘But it _will_ ,’ Sirius insisted. ‘Yours did too, remember? And Marley’s for that matter.’

‘Sirius, if you don’t shut up right now, I’ll hex you with a Silencing Charm.’

That shut Sirius up, even though James looked like a complete tool with a brightly coloured insult written across his forehead. He liked to talk.

‘Now, Christina’s been made captain this year,’ James started.

Sirius immediately jumped in with a question. ‘Who’s she?’

‘Christina Johnson. One of the Chasers.’ James gave him a pointed look. ‘You know?’ He shook his head as Sirius looked at him blankly and kept talking instead. ‘Anyway, she isn’t as tough on you as Marcus, so there’s a big possibility she could pick a complete loser for the spot instead. So, you’ve gotta blow them all off the pitch. Okay?’

Sirius cocked his head to the side. ‘With pep talks like those, you could be Captain yourself.’

James just shrugged as he pulled on his boots. ‘That’s a long way down the track, mate. Let’s just focus on getting you on the team for now.’ He stood up. ‘Let’s go.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Very little was said until the collection of potential beaters marched onto the field, when Marley sprung up out of her seat and stood on top of it, looking around for Sirius.

‘There he is!’ she suddenly called, even though Kayla could see him perfectly well. ‘Sirius!’

The figure of Sirius Black turned and waved, before continuing on his way with what appeared to be James.

‘If he doesn’t get on, I’ll slaughter Christina,’ Marley said, plopping back down. Kayla just quirked an eyebrow, and looked back over the partially-filled grandstands. Her stomach dropped when she saw a horribly familiar figure making its way towards them. Kayla spun to face them as they approached.

‘What do you _want_ , Snape?’ she hissed. ‘You’ve done enough damage.’

Marley stiffened as she heard her speak, and turned slowly, with enough venom in her gaze to take out the whole Slytherin house.

‘Please, I need your help,’ Snape insisted.

Marley crossed her arms, not backing down. ‘Choose your words _carefully_.’

‘I – you see – I didn’t _mean_ to -’ He stumbled through what seemed like a million alibis.

‘Didn’t mean to _what?_ ’ Marley spat. ‘Hurt one of my best friends? Insult her, when you were _supposed_ to be one of those to her, too?’

‘It was like I had no control over what I was saying. Tell her to listen to me,’ Snape pleaded.

‘ _Tell_ _her?_ ’ Marley’s voice went shrill. ‘What, am I the messenger owl, now?’

Snape backtracked. ‘No, I -’

‘Find your own means of fixing your mistakes, Death Eater,’ Marley growled. ‘Come on, Kayla. I’ve had enough of him.’

Just as they were getting up and walking away, Snape burst out. ‘I swear, it wasn’t me! Someone must have hexed me!’

‘ _Yeah_ ,’ Marley said in a patronising tone. ‘ _Lily_ did, when you started talking to her like that!’

‘No, not then,’ Snape said, ‘before that!’ He seemed to be thinking, then a look of realisation crossed his face. ‘I ran into bloody Potter and Black before – they must have done something! Those fu -’

Marley whirled, and the look on her face was absolutely terrifying. ‘Don’t you _dare_ talk about my brothers like that, you bastard!’ she yelled, lunging out at him. Kayla reacted instinctively and leapt forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Marley’s waist and holding her back.

‘Stop, Marley!’ she cried. ‘He’s not worth it!’

A sneer crossed Snape’s features. Kayla could tell that he was going to strike back. ‘That’s it, listen to the mudblood, McKinnon.’

Kayla felt her face go stony. She fixed Snape with a steely look, and said, ‘You’re not doing yourself any favours, Snape. You know how Lily feels about that word. And at the moment, I’m sure she trusts me than she does _you_.’

Realisation seemed to hit Snape as he came to the conclusion that this was true. Immediately, he tried to make amends. ‘I -’

‘Not interested,’ Kayla said flatly.

‘But -’

‘Don’t care.’

‘It’s -’

‘ _SHUT UP!_ ’ This outburst came from Marley, who looked on the point of hyperventilating. She took a deep breath, and started. ‘Snape. You have screwed things up. Royally. And you now have no chance of getting Lily’s friendship back through us. You’re going to have to _get off your freaking arse_ , and work for this for once in your life. And hope on Merlin’s name,’ she added, her voice deadly quiet, ‘that you get a second chance. Because you do _not_ deserve it. Ever.’

‘And even if she does take you back,’ Kayla added, ‘you better not mess up again. Lily deserves more than you.’

There was a sudden outburst of cheering from below them, and Marley’s attention snapped back to the Quidditch pitch. ‘Sirius!’ she cried. Before Kayla could register what had happened, she had vaulted over the barrier between the stands and the pitch, and run over towards Sirius, who had been hoisted up onto the shoulders of the Gryffindor team. Kayla quickly put two and two together. He must have made it on to the team.

But Snape was still there, looking at Kayla pleadingly. It was amazing how suddenly this guy’s attitude could change from one thing to another. She met his gaze with narrowed eyes, his insult still bouncing around in her head. She conveyed it all through her expression – she wasn’t going to help him. She wheeled around and started walking away, but at the last moment, turned back.

‘And for the record, I _am_ a mudblood. A mudblood and _proud_.’


	38. Year 3 - Hogsmeade

**_ 38 – Hogsmeade _ **

** Remus **

The whole of the next week was spent listening to Sirius’ gloating about getting on the Gryffindor team. And the week after that. And the week after that . . .

In fact, Halloween had passed before Remus finally heard the end of it, and that was because Christina Johnson had finally increased the intensity of their training, and Sirius was too tire d to gloat.

It was a relief, to say in the least. If he had to hear _one_ more time about Sirius’ capability of flogging bludgers . . .

On the first of November, a notice was pinned up in the Gryffindor common room saying that the first Hogsmeade trip of the year was that weekend. The third years were very excited about this, as they had never been down in the village before.

‘ _I’ve_ heard there’s this shack down there,’ a Hufflepuff said as she walked by, talking to her friend. Remus and Kayla, who were going to Potions, stiffened as they heard this. The Hufflepuff continued. ‘Apparently it’s haunted. Called the “Shrieking Shack” or something, and the villagers hear something growling and screaming at night.’

‘ _No way!_ ’ her friend said, wide eyed. ‘That’s awesome!’

‘No it’s not,’ Remus muttered as they disappeared into the throng of people. Kayla put a hand on his arm comfortingly. For some reason, the single gesture sent a jolt down his spine. Then it had gone before Remus could blink twice.

‘Don’t worry about them,’ Kayla murmured. ‘They’ll never work it out; no one has yet, and it’s been two years.’

Remus chewed his lip and didn’t say anything.

‘Come on,’ she said in an attempt to lighten his mood. ‘If you don’t cheer up, I’ll force you into the most horrible little teashop I’ve heard of . . .’

‘Oh, ha ha.’

But he did feel better as his mind was taken off the Shrieking Shack by discussing all of the other things around Hogsmeade, and by the time they had arrived at Potions, Remus had forgotten all about the Hufflepuff.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Come on, Lily, _please_.’

‘I’m not interested, Severus.’

‘But I -’

‘You’re lucky Slughorn paired you with me, so you can harass me.’ Lily looked at Severus with narrowed eyes. She counted out teaspoons of pickled slugs and tipped them into the almost-finished potion.

‘One minute left, everyone!’ Professor Slughorn called out. Lily began stirring the cauldron, sweeping her hair out of her face, which had gone frizzy from the humidity.

‘If you’d just let me explain -’

‘And you’ve been putting out the same explanation for the last six weeks. You were _hexed._ You’re going to need a better excuse to make up for the fact that you called me a -’

‘I told you – I couldn’t do anything about it, Lily.’

‘I’m sure you could have,’ she muttered irritably. ‘I’m surprised you haven’t pulled out the “mudblood” insults yet.’

‘But I -’

‘But you _what_ , hmm? Got hexed by Potter and Black so you talked like that?’ She made a noise of disdain. ‘You can’t pin everything on them, Severus. They might be gits, but they don’t affect everything _you_ do.’

‘If you’d just -’

‘And _time’s up!_ ’ Slughorn called, clapping his hands twice. ‘Bottle up, everyone, and put them on my desk. You’ll get your results next lesson!’

Lily ladled a spoonful of her Dizziness Draught into a vial and scribbled her name on it. Severus was still trying to talk to her, but she had pointedly tuned him out. She crossed the room to Slughorn’s desk, put her vial in the rack on it, walked back to her desk, shouldered her bag and walked out.

‘ _Lily!_ ’

Severus had followed her out of the classroom.

‘Please Lily!’ He caught up to her, and stopped her by grabbing her bag strap. ‘Go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend, and I can explain everything. Please.’

He looked so determined and pleading that Lily paused, and held back the spiteful words she was about to say.

‘Fine,’ she said slowly. ‘But you had better make it worth my time.’

And as she walked away, what she really hoped was that he had something that gave her reason to be friends with him again. She hated being cross with people.

* * *

 

Lily met Severus in the Entrance Hall on Saturday morning, but did not exchange a word with him until they were at least half way down to the village.

‘So, what’s your reason, then?’ Her tone was icy, but she only realised it just after she uttered the words. A crease appeared between Severus’ eyebrows.

‘Like I’ve said, I had no control over what I was saying. All that came out was insult after insult and I couldn’t do anything about it.’

‘That’s completely ridiculous,’ Lily muttered. ‘What would the point of a hex like that be?’

‘I don’t know,’ Severus said pointedly. ‘But I think it was Potter and Black who did it.’

Lily looked at him, her expression on of the utmost bemusement. ‘And what interest would they have in doing that?’ She didn’t know why, but her need to see the best in people was suddenly showing a little more than she would have liked at the present moment.

‘Because they’re . . . _them_ ,’ Severus bit out. ‘They’re arrogant toerags who want nothing more than to -’

‘Than to get on your nerves,’ Lily said shortly. ‘And you’re letting them.’

‘But it’s not just that,’ he said, more than a little insistently. ‘Potter has this creepy obsession with you -’

‘It’s not an obsession, it’s the constant need to irritate me. And besides -’ She gave him a pointed look. ‘- I’m sure plenty of people have “creepy obsessions” with others. Don’t narrow it down to being just him.’

For some reason, Severus turned a funny colour. But before Lily could work out why, though, he had continued on. ‘But, he’s always being a complete -’

‘Relying on colourful lists of profanities won’t change anything, Severus,’ Lily said. ‘Potter will still be . . . _Potter_.’

Severus’ mouth tensed, but Lily could see that her point had gotten through to him.

‘Anyway,’ she said crossing her arms as a cool breeze wafted over them, ‘we’re getting off track. I didn’t agree to go here with you because of him. Are you sure that’s what happened? Them hexing you, I mean.’

He nodded quickly. ‘Yes – I mean, that’s what I think – what _else_ could it have been?’

‘You have a point there,’ she murmured. ‘Alright, fine. I believe you.’ She looked up to see the hugest expression of relief cross his features.

‘Thank you,’ he said gratefully. ‘I would _never_ call you names like that in my own state of mind. _Never_.’

‘I know,’ Lily admitted. ‘I just needed to hear you say that for yourself.’

‘So . . . we’re okay, then?’ he asked tentatively. Lily nodded.

‘Of course. Now, come on. I want to go to this place – I think it’s called the Three Broomsticks or something.’

Severus nodded, and together, they made their way through the village amidst the cool, autumn air.

It was good to have her friend back.

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘So that’s the shack,’ Kayla said, leaning over the old railing at the edge of the slope. Out in the distance, a rickety, wooden building stood. All of the windows were boarded up. Remus who felt quite sick, nodded.

After a long moment, Kayla tore her eyes away from the shack and looked at him. ‘You’re green, Rem. Are you okay?’

He waved her off. ‘M’fine,’ he lied. ‘It’s just . . . cold.’ But he wasn’t cold at all. Looking at this place with his best friend so close to him made him feel anxious. He had already spent so many nights in that building as a feral, rampaging monster.

But he didn’t seem to be spending as much time in there anymore. Madam Pomfrey wasn’t saying anything, but something at the back of his conscience, a second voice perhaps, seemed to think that the Forbidden Forest was quite a familiar place . . .

‘It is starting to cool off a little,’ Kayla noted, rubbing her hands together. Her voice snapped Remus back to the present. She pulled the sleeves of her jumper up so they covered her hands. ‘Maybe we should go inside. Apparently Honeydukes is the best place to go in the colder months.’

Her lips were tinted blue. Seeing that immediately made Remus’ more protective side kick in, and he agreed with her. ‘Yeah. Come on. We don’t need to stick around here. I’d rather not, actually.’

She gave an understanding nod. ‘Alright.’

Together they turned and walked back into the village. Overnight, a light frost had settled on the ground, and the grass was still chilly. The sun had long since melted the ice, but traces still remained. 

‘I feel like a wuss,’ Kayla complained. ‘It’s barely November.’

‘No, I think it’s just really cold today,’ Remus reassured her. ‘Let’s get inside.’ He pushed open the door to the sweet shop, and they stepped into the warm, toffee scented air.

It was crowded with students, though judging by what he saw from out on the street, the Three Broomsticks would have been even busier.

‘There’s _so_ much sugar,’ Kayla said, looking up at the rows of shelves.

‘So much chocolate,’ Remus added, a lazy grin crossing his face. She laughed and took his hand, triggering what felt like an electric shock up his arm, and pulled him into the masses.

They spent more time in that shop than they really needed to. Remus hovered around the hundreds of different types of chocolates, while Kayla was constantly disappearing and returning, adding a container of fudge or a bag of Fizzing Whizzbees to his already overladen arms. In short, he was her shopping trolley.

‘I’ll pay you off for this when we go,’ she had reassured him, laughing while doing so.

In the end, Remus had gotten a large, plastic bag the size of a garbage bin and loaded everything inside it, sick of worrying about the piles of merchandise falling over and hitting him on the head. Kayla finally returned, once again, this time with about ten boxes of some mystery item.

‘Here you go,’ she said, shoving them at him. Remus, who was already getting sore from the ginormous bag, nearly toppled over.

‘Easy,’ he said insistently. ‘You do realise we have to pay for all of this, don’t you?’

‘Yeah,’ she said, grinning. ‘But this will keep me going for an entire year. Keep in mind that I have Marley in my dormitory. And Lily. She’s a sugarholic.’

‘You’re the supplier?’ he asked with raised eyebrows. She nodded.

‘They pay me back, of course, but I do the bulk shopping.’

‘And make me carry it, apparently,’ Remus muttered, a small grin starting to tug at his mouth. Even though those girls ate a lot of sweets, they put a lot of thought into how they were going to go about doing that.

‘What about you lot? Do you just buy it and eat it?’

‘Pretty much,’ Remus said, shrugging. ‘It works. I have to hide my chocolate though. Sirius is the _worst_ with stealing your food.’

‘You hoarder,’ she laughed, punching him in the shoulder. ‘Sharing is caring,’ she added in a sing-song voice.

‘Not with Sirius it isn’t,’ Remus said, looking at her pointedly. ‘If I share, it’s all gone!’

‘Fair enough,’ she said with a little nod. Her cheeks were pink with laughter. She looked towards the counter, then back at her massive bag of food. ‘We should go pay.’

Five minutes later, the two of them left the shop and sat down on a bench outside, all of their purchases now in several other considerably smaller bags. Kayla reached into one of them and drew out the boxes again. ‘Your payment, good sir,’ she said, laughing again. Remus took them off her and opened one of them to reveal chocolate. A _lot_ of chocolate.

‘Fair?’ she asked, raising her eyebrows.

‘ . . . fair . . .’ he said faintly. ‘ _How_ many of these are there? Ten?’

‘Twelve,’ she answered absently. ‘But who’s counting?’

Remus felt his eyebrows shoot up his head. ‘ _Twelve?_ ’

She crossed her arms and grinned. ‘Make sure to keep it away from Sirius.’

‘Oh, no way in hell is he getting his hands on _these_. I’m stocked for a lifetime!’

‘Definitely fair, then,’ she said, smirking.


	39. Year 3 - Humiliation

**_ 39 – Humiliation _ **

** Sirius **

If there was one thing Sirius surprised himself with, it was by taking Muggle Studies. Whether it was to spite his parents or prove to James that he _could_ take a subject Marley wasn’t in, he didn’t know. But all the same, he was stuck here now, and others were apparently just as surprised.

‘ _Sirius Black_. Still taking _Muggle Studies_ . . . I thought it had been a joke when you stuck around for the trial period.’

Sirius, who had been lounging in his seat in the steadily-filling classroom, turned to give the newcomer his attention. ‘Don’t sound so surprised, Shortie,’ he said with a jaunty grin. ‘‘Cause I’m full of them.’

‘What, surprises?’ Kayla scoffed. ‘That I’m sure.’

‘It was a lovely eight weeks of Muggle-ness. I quite enjoyed it; I don’t know about you. Come, sit.’ He patted the seat beside him, and she eyed it as though worried it might carry disease. ‘You can witness all of my surprises firsthand,’ he added, with a knowing nod. Kayla raised both of her eyebrows, looking unimpressed. A couple of Hufflepuff girls in the row in front had turned to ogle Sirius (he knew they were doing it) and were looking at Kayla as though she were mad.

Well, she was, to be frank. She was turning down an invitation from _him_ , _Sirius Black_ , resident attractive third year. _Seriously_ (no pun intended).

‘You’re going to have to bargain with more than that, Sirius,’ she said, leaning her hip against the desk. Right, then.

He angled himself so he was leaning back against the seat, in his best “casual” pose.

‘Are you _sure_ you don’t want to sit with me?’ he asked. One of the Hufflepuff girls swooned.

Perhaps it was the tone he asked it in, or the fact that he was acting like one of the muggle models from the posters hung on the walls around them, but Kayla blushed red to the roots of her hair. Sirius grinned. _Bingo._

‘I’m sure there’s a different reason as to _why_ you suddenly want me to sit here,’ she muttered, dumping her books down and sitting in the seat beside him.

‘How else am I going to pass the test?’

‘Ah.’ She gave a heavy exhale. ‘Of course.’

‘Well, everyone else who’s smart is taking Arithmancy, and _besides_ -’ He gave her a pointed look. ‘- you seemed lonely on the other side of the room.’

‘Yep, you just want to copy off me,’ she said flatly.

Sirius made a mock noise of outrage. ‘ _Excuse you_ , Shortie!’

‘I’m not that short,’ Kayla grumbled.

‘The truth can be cruel sometimes, Shortie.’

* * *

 

** James **

‘I am _done_ with Arithmancy,’ Marley grumbled as she, James, Remus, Peter and Evans left the classroom. ‘Numbers this, numbers that, _I hate numbers_.’

‘You should have come to that realisation earlier,’ Evans informed her. ‘You’ve had _eight_ weeks to change your mind, but you’ve missed that boat now.’

Marley gave her a sour look, and apparently wanted to change the topic. ‘Let’s go to lunch; I’m hungry.’

Evans gave a small nod. ‘Alright, I just want to drop something off in the dormitory.’

‘Don’t,’ Marley said. ‘I’m pretty sure Kayla’s cat dragged a dungbomb up there at some point; I opened up the windows to air it out before I left. The smell might still be there.’

Evans quirked her eyebrows. ‘Fair enough, then.’

The two of them turned down a corridor and left the group.

‘Let’s go and find Sirius,’ Remus said. ‘Then we can go to lunch, too.’

There was an agreement to this statement, and they made their way downstairs to the Muggle Studies classroom, where students were just starting to file out. Just as they reached the door, Sirius emerged, his arm flung around Kayla’s shoulder and pinning her to his side. She was blinking owlishly, as though she were both awkward and permanently stunned.

‘We’re best buddies, now,’ he informed them seriously. ‘Completely inseparable.’

James gave a gasp of mock horror. ‘ _No!_ You can’t abandon me!’

Remus, whose face had turned a funny colour, intervened before Sirius could say anything else. ‘Besides,’ he said, ‘I have my claims. I got her first.’ He somehow managed to fit himself between the two of them, detach Sirius’ arm, and free Kayla, who seemed quite relieved. ‘Finders keepers,’ he said in response to Sirius’ shocked look.

‘ _Moony_ ,’ Sirius said, shaking his head disbelievingly. ‘Moony, Moony, Moony.’

‘You know, if you keep repeating a word, it loses its meaning,’ Remus said absently. ‘Come on, Kayla. Let’s leave these losers to their own devices.’

‘Traitor!’ Sirius called, as their backs retreated down the now-empty corridor. ‘You’re walking on thin ice, wolf boy!’

‘ _Sirius,_ ’ James hissed, slapping him on the arm. ‘Not so loud.’

‘Who’s here to hear?’ Sirius asked pointedly.

James grumbled. ‘Let’s go.’

* * *

 

‘Okay,’ Peter said, looking at the four, overladen tables of food through wide eyes. ‘Who was mad enough to think of giving us _coconuts?_ ’

‘My money’s on Dumbledore,’ James said, feeling just as confused.

‘Agreed.’

Sirius, however, was not paying attention to what they were saying. Instead, he was looking across the hall, where Snape was sitting at the Slytherin table, and back at the coconuts again, over and over.

‘Sirius?’ Peter asked, giving him a prod. ‘You alive in there?’

‘I HAVE HAD THE MOST BLOODY FANTASTIC IDEA.’

‘ . . . Okay?’

‘Ammo,’ Sirius said. ‘We need ammo, men. And I know just what sort.’

It suddenly clicked. James looked at the bowls of coconuts spaced evenly along all of the tables, and a huge grin spread across his face.

‘You are a _genius_ , man!’ he said, thumping Sirius on the back. ‘Wormtail. Commence Operation: Coconuts.’

‘Meaning?’ Peter posed.

‘Grab the coconuts!’

‘Oh, right,’ Peter said quickly. He saluted. ‘Sir, yes, sir!’

He scurried off into the hall, and began piling bowls of coconuts up in his arms.

‘Now we just need slingshots,’ Sirius mused, pacing back and forth, his hand rubbing his chin. ‘Just, what . . . ?’

James began thinking, trying to decide what would be good enough for the task. For some reason, his mind jumped back to the conversation Marley and Evans were having just before they left.

_I opened up the windows to air it out before I left . . ._

Suddenly, he had a brainwave. He looked up at Sirius. ‘I’ve got it! Come on, we need to go up to the dormitory. I need my broom.’

* * *

 

‘Alright, through the window, come on.’

Sirius balanced precariously on the broomstick and leaned over, so he was leaning on the castle wall. He gulped audibly, and with a little momentum, sprung up through the window, landing on the frame. He moved out of the way, and James hovered through the window. The faintest traces of dungbombs hung in the air.

‘To think,’ James said a little awestruck, regardless of the situation. ‘Evans _sleeps_ in here.’

‘And that is one of the most random thoughts I’ve heard all day,’ Sirius said, shaking his head. ‘Which one’s “hers”?’ he asked, redirecting James’ attention to the situation at hand and looking at the five beds positioned around the room. Surprisingly enough, the room was actually rather messy. Books and a cat were sprawled all over one bed (Kayla’s), a little bit of laundry had tumbled off someone’s bed, and shoes were all over the place. James nearly stepped on an upside-down heel, near what he presumed was Claire’s bed.

‘That one’s my guess,’ James said, pointing to a bed that had a set of rumpled, muddy Quidditch robes on top of it. They both crossed the room and flipped open the trunk beside the bed.

‘I think we’ve found a solution,’ Sirius said with a little nod, examining the contents. ‘I’ve got dibs on the pink one.’

* * *

** Marlene **

Quidditch training that morning had been murder. It had rained the previous night, meaning that Marley had gotten covered in mud, and the worst bit was that she hadn’t gotten a chance to change until now. Thank Merlin for lunch breaks.

Marley had more than revelled in the luxury of the shower she had, letting the hot water unwind her tenseness from Arithmancy. Bloody damned numbers . . .

After a rather long period of time, she shut off the water, got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, before stepping out into the dormitory. She flipped open her trunk and started searching through it.

After a moment, she paused. She was _sure_ she had some . . . at least four . . .

Lily wasn’t here to harass, and neither was Kayla. Feeling confused, Marley pulled on a white singlet top before putting her uniform back on. She’d have to go on a hunt . . .

* * *

 

She found her answer ten minutes later in the form of four boys outside, by the lake. She hurried down the slope to find James, Sirius and Peter firing coconuts at someone further along the shore, who, after a moment of looking, Marley realised was Snape. Remus was sitting on the ground beside them.

‘Oi!’ she called. She was just about to ask ‘Have you seen Lily?’ when seeing something made her pause. Three out of the four boys were holding brightly coloured objects in their hands. There was another one sitting on the grass beside Remus as though it had been tossed at him.

Guilty faces were all she saw after that.

‘You – you -’

Her face burned with humiliation. They _didn’t . . ._

‘You stole my _bras?_ ’ she yelped. ‘WHY IN MERLIN’S BLOODY NAME . . . ?’

‘They were good slingshots!’ James insisted, quailing under her murderous glare. ‘It’s true!’

‘Oh my GOD!’ Marley cried. ‘I can’t believe you would – you actually -’

‘I tried to convince them otherwise,’ Remus said quietly. Peter was a funny shade of red, James looked terrified, but Sirius . . . damn him . . . Sirius was _grinning_.

‘Hey, look,’ Sirius said. ‘On the bright side, Snivellus gets hit in the head with coconuts. Look!’

‘NO!’ Marley shouted, leaping at him. ‘Give them _back_ , goddamnit!’

But Sirius moved quickly out of her reach. ‘Not yet, McKinnon. You wait ‘til we’ve had our fun. It’s only fair.’

‘This is not _fair_ ,’ Marley insisted. She had never been so embarrassed, and for that matter, so upset in her life. ‘You can’t just do this!’

‘But I did,’ Sirius said, giving her a pointed look. ‘So watch.’

But Marley didn’t. She bit her lip so hard that she drew blood, and leapt at Sirius again, this time knocking him over into the lake.

Sirius let out a strangled yell and Marley left him there to flounder about in the shallow water as she got to her feet.

‘I’ve had enough of you for one day,’ she muttered, snatching her bra out of his hand. She turned to the rest of the boys. ‘Come on, cough them up.’

Her face was still burning red; she knew it. So she turned to leave, but before she started walking away, she said, ‘No more slingshotting. I’ll have your heads if you do.’ As a final touch, she pulled out her wand and charmed the bowls of coconuts to chase after Peter, smacking him repeatedly on the head.

And that was how they ended up with the title of “Rampaging Coconuts of Death”.

Marley wasn’t sorry.


	40. Year 3 - Insight

**_ 40 – Insight _ **

** Kayla **

If there was one thing Kayla really hated, it was lying awake until the early hours of the morning, not being able to sleep. Sadly, this was the situation she was stuck in at the present moment.

To be honest, she was worried sick. It was the full moon again, meaning that Remus was outside right now, not in his own state of mind.

As a werewolf.

She knew she was probably winding herself in knots over this, but that was the thing. She was the “overly-concerned mother hen”, as Sirius had said once. She hated the thought of him having no option but to attack himself . . .

It was horrible. And she hated that it had to put Remus – poor, endearing, intelligent Remus – through so much. He was only thirteen. It was too much.

The dormitory around her was quiet. She could see the silent form of Lily sleeping through her open bed hangings a couple of metres to her side, her red hair splayed over her pillow in a beam of moonlight.

She wondered if Remus was ever going to tell Lily the truth about himself. It was entirely his decision, of course, and he might not want to at the moment, but she was his friend too. She would start questioning things sooner or later – the rest of them did.

Quietly, Kayla swung her legs off her bed and stood up. She had been awake all night, and it would be dawn before she knew it, unless she did something about it. So she pulled on her dressing gown, crept to the door, and pushed it open, walking down the staircase to the common room.

The Fat Lady wasn’t there when she pushed the portrait hole open, apparently off with her friend Violet for the night. That was a bonus – Kayla didn’t want to attract anyone’s attention. So quietly, with the grace of a cat, she slipped down the corridor.

She knew where the kitchens were, mainly thanks to Remus, and after hearing the story of Sirius and Marley’s difficulties in regards to getting through the painting, she knew how to open it properly _without_ being turned into a pineapple. So, if she wasn’t caught – something she was really hoping on – she would be able to get in there without any difficulties.

Soon enough, Kayla had reached the corridor she knew she was supposed to be on, and after tickling the pear to the point where it giggled, she found herself in the kitchens.

Already, despite the early hour, house elves were rushing around the place, several pots were already sitting on the long stove. There were a few squeals of ‘Miss!’ when she entered, and Kayla immediately had someone attending to her.

‘What would miss like?’ one of the elves asked eagerly.

‘I hope it’s not too much to ask for a pot of ice cream, is it?’ Kayla asked tentatively. ‘I’m craving.’

Apparently it wasn’t too much. The elf dashed off, and immediately she had a huge tub of ice cream before her, plus a spoon. Kayla thanked the elf, who bowed deeply and scurried off, before sitting down on a seat pushed up against the wall.

When she was hungry, Kayla could get through a lot of food. And she did. She had to pause in her ravenous ice cream devouring occasionally to avoid getting brain freeze, but after what must have been half an hour, she polished off the entire thing.

She felt incredibly fat after realising that, but it hadn’t seemed to have made a dent in her waistline, so she tossed the empty container in the bin, put the spoon in the sink, and left.

The ice cream had certainly done the trick. She felt more than inclined to go back to bed now, and sleep for about ten hours.

Unfortunately, the trip back to the common room wasn’t as smooth as the one to the kitchens. Half way along a corridor, she heard voices. The thing was, they didn’t seem to belong to a teacher, or for that matter, anyone she recognised straight off the bat. 

She came to stand outside the door to an empty classroom, and the voices were faint enough that she could just hear them.

‘. . . the Dark Lord will not be pleased . . .’

‘. . . how are we supposed to . . . students . . .’

She couldn’t hear all of what they were saying, but she could have sworn that one of the voices in the room belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius’ sixth year cousin.

But she – and whoever else was in there – was talking about Voldemort. It wasn’t news to anyone who knew what was going on in the outside world that Voldemort was recruiting students. It wasn’t a full-on operation just yet, but it was bound to be in the future.

Kayla knew she should do something about this, but she wasn’t particularly keen on the idea of walking in on Bellatrix. The girl was three years older than her, and was known rather well for her . . . unpleasantness.

So, slowly, she backed away from the door, doing her best not to make a sound. When she felt she was a reasonable distance away, she turned.

Straight.

Into.

Peeves.

The poltergeist was grinning maliciously, revelling in the immediate expression of fear that crossed Kayla’s face.

‘Please, Peeves, don’t say anything,’ she begged in a quiet, but insistent voice. ‘Please.’

‘You’re out of bed,’ Peeves said in a sing-song voice. ‘I think I should report you to Filch – it’s the right thing to do, it is.’

‘Peeves -’

‘STUDENT OUT OF BED IN THE TRANSFIGURATION CORRIDOR! OI! FILCH! DO YOUR BLEEDING JOB FOR ONCE!’

Kayla felt a wave of fear flood through her as the door further up the corridor slammed open – the door that Bellatrix was behind -

And she was already running.

She heard a shout of, ‘Find them! They might have heard something! And be sure to make them _pay!_ ’ which seemed to follow her even though she had already turned down another corridor.

Peeves had been blocking the path to Gryffindor Tower, so Kayla had to take another route. In reality, she had no idea where her legs were taking her, but it didn’t register to her as a surprise when she found herself at the great, oak front doors. She pushed one of them open and sprinted outside.

No one should find her out here.

But she was stuck, now. Until daylight came, there was little she could do. Half way down the damp, grassy slope, Kayla stopped and turned, taking in the sight of the dark castle looming up behind her. She then looked around, and saw the lake, the moon glistening on the surface.

She hadn’t been down there in a while. Since she had nothing else to do, Kayla started making her way down to the great body of water, as the faintest hints of light began touching at the sky. But regardless of that, it was still incredibly dark. With a slight sigh, she trekked down the slope to the lake, and sat down at the edge of it. A coolness was radiating off the surface, making her feel quite cold.

Kayla looked out into the distance, where she could see the tiny pinpricks that were the streetlamps of Hogsmeade. Somewhere, out in the shack not far from there, Remus was a werewolf. The thought made her shiver involuntarily.

But what was she supposed to do about Bellatrix? She was certain that the older girl had no idea who had been near the classroom, but that didn’t change that she and the mystery person were plotting something to do with the students here. Kayla was absolutely positive they were trying to recruit.

But that didn’t change that Bellatrix was a terrifying person that she didn’t want to encounter face-to-face. Maybe she had better keep her nose out of it for now . . .

A howl pierced the quiet night, making Kayla practically jump out of her skin. What . . . ?

It had sounded like it had come from nearby, but that confused her, because as far as she knew, there were no wolves in the forest. She got carefully to her feet and looked around in the darkness. Slowly, ever so slowly, light was still spreading across the edges of the sky. The moon was close to dipping out of sight just now.

Kayla bit her lip as another howl rang out, and she looked over in the direction it had come from. It sounded _really_ close . . .

She could see a pair of eyes gleaming at her through some bushes. A low snarl erupted from that same place. Heart stuttering violently with fear, Kayla stumbled back, watching as they started to advance.

It was a wolf. The animal began creeping forward like it was on the hunt, growling at her. Its grey fur reflected what was left of the moonlight.

What was a wolf doing in these parts? Kayla could have sworn that they didn’t live around here . . .

Then, the horrible realisation hit her. Wolves _didn’t_ live here. And this wasn’t an ordinary wolf.

‘Remus,’ she breathed, wide eyed. The beast clearly didn’t care to recognise the name, and kept stalking towards her. Kayla stepped backwards again, and felt the icy cold water of the lake lapping at her bare feet.

‘Remus,’ she repeated, a little louder. It was hard to keep the fear out of her voice. ‘Please. It’s me. Kayla. You know me.’ She swallowed, and the sound of her heartbeat had filled her ears like a drum, the pumping blood making one of the loudest sounds she had ever heard.

‘Rem. Please. You wouldn’t . . . you wouldn’t hurt me.’

The growling intensified, and he suddenly barked. Kayla screamed from instinct, and stumbled over just as he leapt. The wolf soared over her head and landed with a loud splash in the water behind her.

_Oh no._

‘ _Please_ Remus,’ she insisted, getting unsteadily to her feet. ‘Please. You’re my best friend. I _know_ you won’t hurt me. You’re too good to do that. I know you are.’

Evidently angered by her evading his attack, Remus didn’t seem to care. He advanced on her again, fangs bared and hackles raised. Only then Kayla realised that the fur around his mouth was stained with something.

Blood.

Remus leapt again, and Kayla did the first thing that popped into her head. She dove forward, tackling his hind legs and sending him off-course. He hit the ground with a heavy smack and a loud yelp.

Kayla rolled sideways and made to get to her feet again. Before she had however, Remus pounced once more, this time catching her off guard. Kayla screamed as she hit the ground.

‘Remus!’ she shouted, feeling the pressure of his front paws digging into her shoulders. ‘I know you’re in there!’ She suddenly realised she was crying; the tears slipping down her cheeks, and into her hair, on the ground. ‘ _Please_ ,’ she begged, ‘it’s me. You know it’s me, and I know that you won’t hurt me!’

Remus paused at her words, a low whine escaping his throat. His muzzle was about a centimetre from her, and after a moment, touched his nose to the moisture on her cheeks. He whined again, and Kayla felt a spark of hope flare up in her chest. Maybe –

That whine turned into a growl. Remus bared his fangs again, and Kayla felt his breath hot against her face. She panicked and tried to shove him off her, but he was too heavy. His head dove towards her throat, but she still fought.

 _No,_ she thought desperately. _No, no, no, no . . ._

Then, all of a sudden Remus collapsed on top of her, violently spasming. The snarls turned into yelps and groans, and Kayla pushed him off her, if possible, even more afraid. The surface of his skin began rippling, and, realising something, Kayla looked around to where the moon should have been.

It was gone.

The night was over.

She looked back at Remus, who was still wildly thrashing. She watched on in horror as his face morphed – the snout retreating back into his skull, and the human features beginning to resurface. She could see so much pain; his teeth were gritted, his eyes squeezed shut. Instinctively, she reached out to him, pulling his still-changing head into her lap.

‘Remus,’ she breathed. ‘Oh Merlin . . .’

His claws grabbed at the grass beneath him, ripping up tufts as they elongated into fingers. Kayla could hear bones cracking as his legs changed shape, and his back arched as he let out a yell of pain.

Kayla tried to soothe him, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her.

‘Shh,’ she whispered, stroking his muddy, tangled hair. ‘You’re okay, Rem, you’re okay . . .’

It broke her heart to see him like this. And to think, he went through the same thing _every_ _single month . . ._

She took his left hand, which had only just finished changing shape, and tried not to wince as he gripped it tightly like a lifeline. She kept trying to calm him. ‘You’re okay . . .’

Then, suddenly, it was all over. Remus fell limp, breathing heavily, his bare chest rising and falling with every movement.

‘Oh my god,’ Kayla whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and touching her forehead to his. ‘ _Oh my god_ . . .’

She could feel moisture dripping down her hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she looked up again to see five fingernail shaped indentations on the back of her hand leaking blood, dripping onto both the grass and Remus. Another lurch of worry hit her, and she looked him up and down, feeling horrified to see several gashes on his legs and forearms. The only thing that relieved her was that his face was finally peaceful, now that the worst was over. She wasn’t sure if he had fainted or was simply asleep, but was sincerely hoping it was the latter.

Everything was steadily becoming lighter. Kayla looked up to see the sun just poking on the horizon, spilling a few rays of sunlight across the land. She suddenly realised something, and felt as though she had been punched in the gut. She took in a shaky breath, looking back at Remus.

If the moon had disappeared even two seconds later, she would have become a werewolf.


	41. Year 3 - Conversations and Realisations

**_ 41 – Conversations and Realisations _ **

** Kayla **

She needed to get him back up to the castle. How she was going to do that, she didn’t know. Kayla felt her forehead crease into a frown, until after a long moment, she pulled her wand out of her dressing gown pocket. Thank Merlin she never let it out of her sight.

Messaging Charms were complicated – she knew that. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t try.

‘ _Loquias Sirius Black.’_

Holding her breath, Kayla waited. Something that looked like mist started forming, until it had made a transparent screen about thirty centimetres up and across. Then an image popped up, making Kayla feel like she was looking through a foggy window.

She was looking into the boys’ dormitory, straight at Sirius’ bed. Sirius was sprawled out on top of it, tangled in the covers and clearly asleep.

‘Sirius,’ she hissed. He didn’t stir – instead he just groaned and rolled over a bit.

‘ _Sirius!_ ’ Still no response. If Kayla wasn’t concerned about waking up the entire castle, she would be going about this a lot louder.

‘ _Sirius!_ ’ she tried again.

That boy could sleep like a log.

‘Damn it, Sirius,’ she hissed.

‘Kayla?’ A groggy voice came from just behind Sirius, and she looked over to see James (did he _ever_ have a shirt on?) putting on his glasses and looking at her confusedly.

‘James!’ Kayla cried, more than relieved. ‘Wake up Sirius and come to the lake. Please. It’s . . . it’s Remus. I need help.’

James froze, then a split second later pounced on Sirius (‘Wake _up_ Padfoot, you lazy git!’). Kayla flicked her wand and the message dissipated.

She sat down in the grass beside Remus, and looked at him. She wiped a speck of blood from his face and watched him anxiously, waiting.

Less than five minutes later, she was joined by James and Sirius, and neither of whom had seemed all that bothered to change out of their pyjamas – meaning that both of them were wearing boxers and nothing else. If there had been a time where Kayla had a redder face, she couldn’t remember it.

‘Great,’ she muttered as the two of them came to a stop beside her. ‘Now I’m in the presence of two semi-naked boys and one who’s completely . . .’ She trailed off and shuddered. ‘Never mind. We need to get Remus up to the castle.’

Apparently she wasn’t obligated to help in scenarios such as these. Sirius and James picked their friend up, distributing the weight evenly between them and completely disregarding Kayla. They started on their way back up to the castle, and she hurried along behind them.

‘This is the second time,’ James muttered quietly to Sirius. ‘Do you think it’s happening often?’

‘Dunno,’ Sirius replied. As their words settled over her, Kayla butted in.

‘Hang on – the _second_ time?’

James swore quietly at the murderous expression on her face, and gave Sirius a fleeting glance before apparently deciding to speak.

‘So, erm, last year . . . blimey, how do I say this? Last year, he . . . broke out of the shack. And he must have done it again.’

‘So you ran into Remus on the grounds,’ Kayla repeated. ‘ _How_ are you still alive?’

‘He was unconscious and practically drowning in his own blood,’ Sirius said, quickly intervening and saving James. ‘He didn’t get us.’

‘ _What?_ ’ she yelped. ‘ _Drowning in his own blood?_ ’

‘There was a reason we didn’t tell you,’ James said tiredly.

‘Anyway,’ Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. ‘What were _you_ doing down here, Shortie?’

Kayla swallowed lightly, suddenly realising she was cornered. It was her own fault, really. She had brought the conversation in this direction.

‘I was out by the lake,’ she said slowly. ‘He . . . he was about to get me, but the moon disappeared just in time. I – I’m lucky to be alive.’

Both of them were looking at her, absolutely furious. She screwed up her face and waited for their outbursts, and when they came they hit her like a tidal wave.

‘-IF HE HADN’T TRANSFORMED -’

‘-WEREWOLVES GO AFTER _HUMANS_ , KAYLA -’

‘-YOU’RE BLOODY LUCKY HE DIDN’T TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT-’

‘-WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUTSIDE ON THE FULL MOON, ANYWAY-’

‘-ANYTHING COULD HAVE HAPPENED-’

‘-WHAT IF YOU’D BECOME ONE TOO-’

‘-REMUS WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH HIMSELF IF HE HURT YOU-’

‘Okay, _enough!_ ’ Kayla shouted, putting her hands up to silence them. ‘I wasn’t thinking rationally when I came out here; I was more focused on avoiding your _dear_ cousin,’ she said, shooting a look at Sirius. ‘But this experience has given me a whole new perspective on what Remus goes through. I actually _saw_ him transform.’ She looked at them, feeling the emotion burning in her own eyes. ‘It was horrible. And it wasn’t even me.’

‘You do realise how Remus is going to feel about all of this when he finds out?’ James said quietly. Kayla nodded in response, guilt bubbling in the bottom of her stomach. Poor Remus . . .

Sirius, however, seemed focused on something else. ‘What did you say about my cousin? Which one?’

‘Bellatrix,’ Kayla said, biting off every syllable. ‘The terrifying one.’

‘Ah,’ Sirius said dryly. ‘Bella’s rather well known for doing things she shouldn’t . . .’ He trailed off, looking sullen and moody.

‘Guys,’ James said, interjecting suddenly. ‘Pomfrey’s coming.’

They themselves were halfway up the slope just as the matron was hurrying out of the doors. She paused at the sight of them, but met up soon enough, looking shocked.

‘What are you doing out here!’ she asked furiously. ‘Why on earth -’ She broke off as she noticed Remus being carried between James and Sirius. ‘You’re lucky you weren’t killed! Do you realise how _dangerous -’_

‘He’s our friend,’ James said, his tone dangerous. ‘I don’t give a damn at the moment – all I care about is that he gets up to that Hospital Wing. We have our own reasons for being out here.’

Madam Pomfrey met his gaze evenly, but after a short moment, with an angry tut, levitated Remus into the air.

‘Come on, then,’ she muttered. ‘I can put the three of you to good use. Half-witted teenagers . . .’

‘She’s right, you know,’ Kayla said quietly. ‘This would look really bad from her angle.’

‘It looks bad from mine, too,’ James shot back. ‘You can’t pull something like this again, Kayla.’

‘I’m sorry, okay!’ she cried, resting the bridge of her nose on her fingertips as she walked. ‘I . . . I wasn’t thinking.’

‘Obviously,’ Sirius muttered. But his gaze softened as he looked at Remus, who was presently being levitated up the staircases ahead of them. ‘The poor bugger . . .’

* * *

 

** James **

Madam Pomfrey’s idea of punishing them came in the form of having them mop the floor of the Hospital Wing as she fed Remus various potions and serums while he lay in the bed, still unconscious. James didn’t really think that this counted as a “punishment”, but he kept quiet regardless, not wanting more jobs. They were lucky that they had the opportunity to see Remus, which was something they didn’t get until later during the day after the full moon.

Kayla had already finished mopping her section a while ago, and was now sitting in the chair beside Remus’ bed as she waited for James and Sirius to finish up. The reason they were taking so long was because they had both taken on sudden desires to do ballroom dancing with their mops.

‘You two are ridiculous,’ she muttered, looking at them with an expression torn between amusement and grumpiness. Sirius just poked his tongue at her, while James brandished his mop in her general direction. She opened her mouth to retaliate, just as Remus gave a groan and stirred a little.

In the space of half a second, two mops clattered to the ground, and James and Sirius were immediately by his side.

‘Mmph . . .’ Remus absently reached up to rub his face with his palm, and one eye cracked open. Something that sounded a little like ‘Morning,’ came out, and he blinked blearily. A shadow crossed Kayla’s face and making a noise that sounded like a wounded animal, she climbed into the bed with him and hugged him. Remus looked confused at this sudden development, but was apparently still half asleep. Suddenly, realisation that something was wrong started to dawn on him, and he sat up.

‘What happened?’ he asked quietly, looking up at James and Sirius for explanation. Right on cue, a few tears began slipping down Kayla’s cheeks and onto the flannel pyjamas Remus was wearing. Now looking rather worried, he pulled her right into his side and hugged her back. ‘What happened?’ he repeated, a little more forcefully this time.

‘I . . .’ James scratched the back of his neck and looked at Sirius, unsure of how to phrase this. When talking to Kayla they could just be so blunt, and have it over with in a few seconds . . .

‘Well . . . you know you were you,’ Sirius started slowly. ‘In all of your wolfishness . . .’

A pint of blood drained from Remus’ face.

‘And, uh . . .’ Sirius was now looking at his feet. ‘Shortie was down at the lake for Merlin-knows-what-reason.’ He shot a quick, nervous glance up at his friend, before returning to scrutinizing his bare feet. Remus looked sick now, and he hugged Kayla, if possible, even tighter. ‘You two might have had a run in . . .’

Remus drew in a sharp, ragged breath, and looked at Kayla, who was obviously trying to stop crying. It looked as though her efforts were the trigger for him. He burst into tears, burying his face in his sheets, and drawing his knees up to his chest. It was horrible for James to see him like this, because Kayla was set off again too, and the pair of them were a complete mess.

‘I – I can’t -’ Remus choked out, ‘I could’ve -’

‘Please, Remus,’ Kayla begged, ‘I’m okay -’

‘No you’re _not!_ ’ He sounded strangled, and he lifted his head up from the sheets. ‘You – you can say that, Kaye, but you . . . you can’t tell me that you won’t be scarred for the rest of your life.’ The last words came out as a whisper. ‘You can’t.’

* * *

 

Remus needed some time alone, so they left him there. Kayla had been reluctant to leave, but after Remus’ insisting, she finally complied, walking off alone, red eyed. James and Sirius returned to the dormitory, and tried to distract themselves from what had happened by “cleaning”.’

‘Are these yours?’ Sirius asked, holding up a pair of trousers. James just shrugged, and Sirius tossed them on top of Peter, who was still sleeping despite the late hour. Thank Merlin it was the weekend. James picked up a lump of laundry sitting at the foot of his bed, tossed it towards his closet, and ignored it as it hit the door with a thump. He walked around to the other side of his bed, and yelped as he stood on something sharp. With a grumble, he looked down to see he had stood on the corner of a book. Frowning, he turfed a stray tie off it and picked it up, brushing off the thick layer of dust that had settled over it.

_Love or Magic._

He frowned. The title rang a bell. He flipped through the ridiculously thick volume, watching puffs of dirt and dust rise from between the pages.

Then, suddenly, it clicked.

‘My bet!’ he howled. ‘I’m going to lose the bet!’

Sirius, who presently had his head stuck in his cupboard, didn’t hear him. But James didn’t care. He chewed his lip as he looked at it, before tossing it onto his bedside table. Maybe he could read it, and give it a try. Who knows, maybe . . .

Maybe he still had a chance.


	42. Year 3 - The Bet

**_ 42 – The Bet _ **

** Sirius **

Over the next week or so, Remus was still in a state of being mentally unhinged, and hardly talked despite Shortie’s vain efforts to reassure him that it was okay. Sirius, James and Peter still talked to him and tried to ease him back into being comfortable, and it was working, albeit rather slowly. Also, at Kayla’s desperate plea, Sirius hadn’t gone to chew out Bellatrix for doing Merlin-knows-what that night, mainly because, ‘Neither you nor I were there, _remember?_ ’

James had also taken a strange turn. Now he could only be seen with his nose buried in an extremely thick book, pouring over the pages intently while curled up in a couch in the common room. A few times Lily had seen him doing that and smirked, almost triumphantly. It was actually quite amusing, despite the fact that Sirius was disgruntled by being ignored by almost everyone but Peter. On several occasions James could be seen gasping and clutching his heart, reading the words wide-eyed, and once he was actually sobbing. No lie.

He had been pulled into a book to the point where he refused to put it down. Sirius wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Why he had started reading it in the first place, he didn’t know.

Truth be told he was actually a little concerned.

‘Prongs. James. Prongs. James. Prongsie-James.’ Sirius waved his hand impatiently in front of James’ face. ‘Drop the bleeding book, would you?’

James shoved him away without even looking up. ‘Bugger off, Sirius. I’m reading.’

‘Well _that’s_ obvious,’ Sirius grumbled. ‘C’mon, we’ve got class and – _don’t tell me you’re going to spend all lesson reading again!_ ’

James had gotten to his feet, his eyes never leaving the page he was on, and was making his way towards the portrait hole. Feeling irritated, Sirius followed in suit.

* * *

 

‘Mr Potter! If you do not put that book down, I will confiscate it!’ Professor McGonagall was in a rather foul mood today. She looked at James with daggers in her eyes, and continued. ‘I would usually approve of reading, but _not while I am teaching._ ’

James’ head shot up, and he met her gaze. ‘Yes ma’am,’ he said after a long pause, and made a show of putting the book into his bag. After watching him suspiciously for a moment, she returned to her teaching. James waited for about thirty seconds, then fished the book out again and hid it on his lap, below the desk top. Sirius groaned and flopped forward onto the table with a loud _crack_.

Heads turned immediately but Sirius pointedly ignored them, focusing on the throbbing pain that was now building in his temple.

Throughout the lesson, James seemed to be leaning closer and closer towards his book, his eyes steadily becoming rounder. Sirius was well and truly contemplating smacking him around the head with one of the heavy tomes on household transfiguration McGonagall was passing around, when his head suddenly shot up again.

‘ _NOOOOOOOOOOOO!’_

James let out an ear-splitting wail and fell backwards off his chair, both he and the piece of furniture hitting the ground with a heavy smack. The back snapped off the chair as he landed on it strangely.

‘ _AMELIA DIES!’_ he bawled, scrambling to his feet. Sirius was absolutely positive that everyone in a hundred mile radius could hear James right now. ‘ _SHE DIES AND HE DOESN’T KNOW AND IT’S REALLY TRAGIC AND HE THINKS SHE’S STILL ALIVE AND -’_

He fell short and crumpled to the ground again.

Why?

Sirius actually _did_ smack him around the head with his heavy Transfiguration tome. With enough impact, might he add, to knock James out.

Exactly six seconds of complete silence followed that. Sirius still had the book raised above his head.

Finally, Professor McGonagall hurried forward. ‘Detention, Mr Black! You cannot hit other students with textbooks. Take into consideration the abuse you’re putting the book through.’

‘I feel sorry for the other book,’ Sirius said absently, a grin starting to unfurl on his face. ‘James has been sobbing all over it for the past week. Gives you a bit of perspective as to what a few harsh words can do to him.’ Now, completely ignoring his Transfiguration professor, he leant over and picked up the overlarge book James had been reading.

‘Whaddya know, it’s a _romance_ ,’ he said, letting out the last word with a tone of the utmost revolt. He looked down at the unconscious form of his friend. ‘You are a _pansy_ , Prongs.’

Remus and Peter had both gotten out of their seats to come over and assess the damage.

‘You got him good, Sirius,’ Remus said, examining the large, purple welt on James’ forehead. He looked up at McGonagall. ‘Can I take him to the Hospital Wing, Professor? He might have a concussion. Sirius is a bit wild with his book-bashing.’

Professor McGonagall sighed. ‘Very well. Lupin, Black, you two carry Potter to Madam Pomfrey. Not you, Pettigrew,’ she added as Peter started to hurry along with his friends. ‘You will need to keep taking notes. The chameleon you were turning into a lamp last lesson looked more like a flaming lizard to me.’

Peter went pink, but sat down in his seat again. Both Sirius and Remus picked up James, evenly spreading the weight between themselves. As they passed Lily, who was sitting in the desk right by the door, she held out her hand to Sirius for a high five.

Sirius gave her one.

* * *

 

Madam Pomfrey wasn’t pleased.

‘Knocked out with a _flying table_ ,’ she repeated dryly, as Sirius nodded vigorously.

‘It was a hard table, I’ll give you that.’

‘Strangely enough,’ she continued, examining James, ‘this looks quite like the mark a heavy book makes, and I’ve seen plenty of those in my time here as a matron.’

‘Well -’ Remus started, but Sirius cut him off by stuffing his fist in his mouth.

‘It was a table. You must be mistaken, Poppy.’

‘Don’t call me that,’ Madam Pomfrey said shorty. ‘Students addressing staff by their first name informal and not respectable in the slightest.’

Beside him, Remus was gagging on the hand half shoved down his throat. Sirius ignored him, despite the slightly odd feeling that came with it. It was someone else’s saliva, after all.

‘Very well, then,’ Madam Pomfrey said. ‘If you insist it was a table . . .’ She swept away, still looking disbelieving.

Remus was still choking, and Sirius took his sweet time extracting his limb from the depths of his friend’s windpipe. When he finally did, Remus snatched the pitcher of water and a glass from the nearest bedside table and began sculling it. After her had drained the entire jug, he began repeatedly smacking Sirius over the head with it.

‘DON’T -’ _Crack. ‘_ -SHOVE-’ _Crack. ‘-_ YOUR-’ _Crack._ ‘-DISGUSTING-’ _Crack._ ‘-HAND-’ _Crack._ ‘-IN-’ Crack. ‘-MY-’ _Crack._ ‘-MOUTH-’ _Crack._ ‘AGAIN!’ _CRACK._ The jug shattered over Sirius’ head.

‘Mr Lupin, please no violence. I’d rather not have to deal with two concussions,’ Madam Pomfrey scolded as she came back into the ward from her office.

‘James actually _has_ a concussion?’ Remus asked, whirling around and looking shocked. Sirius rubbed his throbbing head.

‘No,’ Pomfrey replied. ‘But he as good has. If the book had been any bigger, he would have.’

Remus shot Sirius a look that made him quail a little, despite the fact that his friend was at least two inches shorter than him.

‘But,’ Pomfrey said, now tipping a goblet full of golden potion into James’ slack mouth, ‘he will have to stay overnight.’

‘I’ll go and get his bag,’ Remus said heavily. He was halfway towards the door before he turned and added something. ‘And _no more_ _murder attempts,_ Sirius.’

Sirius saluted. ‘Yes ma’am!’

Remus gave him the finger behind his back without even turning to look at him.

* * *

 

** Lily **

Marley really could be a bugger sometimes.

‘Why in Merlin’s name am I doing this?’ she muttered to herself as she walked down the corridor. The sun was steadily setting outside, casting an orange glow on the walls. ‘Why would she even insist . . . ugh, just because _she’s_ in detention . . . See, if she’d just _cooperated_ with Professor Mackey and didn’t put him in a bad mood, I wouldn’t need to be doing this . . .’

Lily talked to herself a lot when she was irritated.

She pushed open a door and walked into the Hospital Wing.

Marley had wanted to visit Potter, but since she had brassed off their Astronomy teacher and gotten herself in trouble, she had to do a detention and couldn’t go. So, she sent _Lily_ instead, for who knows what reason.

Lily _really_ didn’t want to be here.

The ward was empty, save a bed in the far corner where Potter’s immobile form was lying. Just looking at him brought back memories from the Transfiguration classroom, and she had to stifle laughter that threatened to escape. Hoisting the strap of her satchel further up her shoulder, she strode over to him and sat down in the chair by his bed.

‘Evening, Potter,’ she said to the quiet room, absently picking at the nails on her left hand. ‘The weather’s lovely, don’t you think?

‘Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t _want_ to be here, but I think Marley might be keeping tabs on everywhere I go. How – I don’t know, but she keeps muttering something about wanting to know where I am in case of another “emergency”. I have the strangest feeling you had something to do with whatever this first “emergency” was.

‘It’s funny, isn’t it, you getting knocked out with a book. Why did Sirius do that, anyway? Were you harassing him? Shoving his own wand up his nose? I remember when you did that last year; it was quite funny, actually. It’s rather amusing to watch Sirius screaming profanities with a long bit of wood sticking out of his nose. How did you get it that far up, anyway? Or is it because there’s no brain up there, therefore giving the wand plenty of room to move around?

‘I have to say, I would have thought your friends would be here. I can actually imagine what they would be doing if they were. Remus would be sitting where I am right now, reading a book while Sirius and Peter sit on your feet and quarrel about the best way to . . . drown a squid or something. Though, that isn’t even possible in the first place; that’s why they would be getting so worked up about it.’

She sighed and stretched out her legs, looking over Potter as he slept, his face squashed into the pillow. He was going to have _terrible_ pillow creases in the morning – Lily just _knew it._

‘You’re drooling,’ she commented lightly, watching him and feeling quite amused. ‘You know, Potter, of all the things I thought you did, for some _strange_ reason, drooling wasn’t one of them. I always pegged Sirius as the drooler. Well, I suppose Peter would be, too, because he’s, well . . . _Peter_.’

Her eyes travelled to the lump on his head. ‘How hard _did_ Sirius hit you? Though, to be honest, those Transfiguration tomes were _massive_ , so I’m not all that surprised. There are very few books that are anywhere near that large in size.’ She laughed to herself. ‘Of course, _The_ Book is almost twice the size, though. How are you coming along with that, anyway? Are you still reading it? Are you enjoying it? Have you even gotten past the first _page?_ Of course you haven’t – you’re Potter. You don’t _read_.’

She got to her feet with a smirk on her face. ‘Have a nice sleep, Potter. I really do think I’ve spent more than enough time here; you’re lucky I even came to visit you.’ She shook her head, grinning as she started walking out of the ward. ‘Bye, now.’

* * *

 

** James **

James’ head hurt like an absolute bugger. There was a constant pounding in his temple, and he felt as though he had been stuffed with sand.

‘Mgherh . . .’ he mumbled, trying to force open his eyes. The white ceiling of the Hospital Wing greeted him, and he blearily tried to massage his face, only managing to poke himself in the eye. ‘ _Ow._ ’

‘Ah, good, you’re awake,’ Madam Pomfrey said briskly, walking over. ‘You’re free to go.’ She handed him a small glass of green-tinted liquid, and said, ‘Drink.’ James drained it in one gulp, felt the pain in his head subside, and she ushered him out of the ward.

The very first thought that hit him once he had left was ‘ _the book!’_ He needed to know what happened next! He was so close to finishing, it wasn’t even funny. And he had to see how the most epic plot twist of all time unfolded . . .

He actually _sprinted_ back to the dormitory, desperate to complete his mission. The room was empty, but James didn’t care. He needed to keep reading.

Several hours later, well past lunch-time, James was sitting on his bed, the book open before him, his eyes eagerly scanning over the pages. So close now . . .

Over the course of the morning, he had given shouts of horror, dug his nails into his face so hard that it hurt, and cried three times. And still, it wasn’t over. He personally thought killing off one half of a couple was plain cruel – and had visibly shown it. His outburst in Transfiguration was proof enough. This book was a hazard to his emotional health.

His eyes darted quickly down to the bottom of the page. Three pages left . . .

But there was still so much to answer!

‘No . . .’ he breathed, feeling his eyes widen. ‘ _No_.’

Two pages left.

One page . . .

_“And that, he knew, was the true meaning of love.”_

The last words.

Done.

All over.

Fin.

‘NO!’ James shouted, flinging the book onto the floor. ‘ _NO!_ _YOU DIDN’T EXPLAIN IT PROPERLY!_ WHAT _IS THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE? WHAT HAPPENS TO THOMAS? WHY DOESN’T HE TRY TO AVENGE AMELIA’S DEATH OR SOMETHING? WHYYYYYYYYY?_

‘ _NO, NO, NO!’_ He was now smacking his head against the bedpost. ‘ _TOO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS!_ ’

‘ _LILY!’_ he bawled. He wasn’t even calling her by her surname, he was _that_ distressed. He tore down the staircase and into the common room, ramming straight into a confused Evans, who had heard someone call her name.

‘Potter?’ she asked, gobsmacked as James dissolved into a mental wreck right before her eyes. ‘What – why –?’

‘ _AMELIA DIES AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THOMAS AND WHAT_ IS _THE TRUE MEANING OF LOVE, EVANS, AND IT’S ALL OVER AND I FEEL THIS HORRIBLE CLAW OF MISERY TRYING TO STRANGLE ME AND I -’_

‘Hold up!’ Evans cried, eyes wide. ‘You mean to say _you’ve finished the book?_ ’

‘Yes,’ James said impatiently, brushing that fact off. ‘But that’s not the point! I -’

‘You’ve finished the book,’ she repeated, looking horrified. ‘Oh _no_.’

‘Yes, but I – _wait_.’ James’ gaze snapped up to hers at it dawned upon him, all thoughts of book characters being tossed aside at that very moment. ‘ _I’ve won the bet!’_

‘ _Nooooooo . . .’_ Evans moaned, burying her face in her hands, looking steadily as though she were being filled with boiling water.

‘You have to kiss me!’

‘No, I don’t!’ Evans looked absolutely furious, a look that didn’t mix well with mortification.

‘Yes, because it was a bet!’ James let out a loud, raucous whoop. ‘You are a CHAMPION, James Potter! You have to kiss me, Evans! You have to kiss me! _You have to kiss me!_ ’

‘No, no, _no . . .’_

‘YES!’

‘Damn it, Potter!’

And before James could process what had happened, she had grabbed him roughly by the shirt collar and forced her lips to his. If this were _Love or_ Magic, there would probably be a lot of description – emotions, thoughts, etcetera, but all James could think was _uduh?_ It was an extremely long moment of shock before he came to terms with what was happening. Then it was pretty awesome. And even though he could feel the fury she was about to unleash upon him, he rather enjoyed it.

Then, all too soon, she shoved him away. The fiery look she had originally been harbouring had subsided to an embarrassed flush in her cheeks as she realised what she had just done. Behind her eyes, he could see she was thinking a million things at once. It would be confusing to be in Lily Evans’ mind, he decided.

But then it hit him. She kissed him. A grin spread across his face at the thought, and Evans narrowed her eyes at him, still looking quite humiliated.

‘Good one, Evans,’ he muttered, feeling as though his face would break from the intensity he was grinning at.

‘Happy now, Potter?’ she ground out, before turning on her heel and stalking off.

Oh, he was more than happy . . .

He pumped his fist in the air, ignoring all of the shocked looks he was getting from all over the common room (what just went down must have appeared _very_ strange to the public eye) and shouted, ‘ONE POINT FOR POTTER!’

It was good to be him.


	43. Year 3 - Family

**_ 43 – Family _ **

** Marlene **

Christmas holidays were quickly approaching, and before Marley knew it, they were here. Both she and Lily were staying at her house for the break, as Lily wanted avoid her sister for the time being. Marley didn’t blame her – Petunia was a complete cow. They had asked Kayla to come too, but the other girl had declined, saying that she wanted to visit her mother and her older brother (‘You have a _brother?_ ’ Marley had asked, aghast. ‘Yes,’ Kayla said, as though it were obvious. ‘Haven’t I told you? His name’s Daniel.’).

Marley had originally been suspecting that the holidays were going to be uneventful, but there was one _teeny tiny_ thing that would change that.

The twenty first of December, 1973.

The girls were in Marley’s bedroom, both sprawled out on the bed and talking about all sorts of things (school, rumours, boys) when Marley’s father opened the door, looking white faced.

‘I’m taking your mother down to St Mungo’s, girls,’ he said in response to their questioning glances. ‘You two are to stay here. I’ll send Euphemia to pick you up later.’

‘What, _what?_ ’ Marley shouted as he closed the door and disappeared. ‘Why on earth - ?’ She stopped and swore.

‘Is it -?’ Lily started, and Marley nodded, knowing what she was about to ask.

‘The baby’s coming.’

‘Oh _Merlin_ ,’ Lily breathed. She looked up at Marley and grinned slightly. ‘This is really exciting, Marley.’

Oh please. Marley begged to differ.

After a long moment, Lily asked, ‘Who’s Euphemia?’

‘James’ mum,’ Marley answered. Lily went white, and sat down on the bed.

‘Oh no,’ she breathed.

‘What?’

‘Erm, I’ve never told you this,’ she muttered, wringing her hands, ‘but, um, something may have . . . happened between . . . Potter and I.’

‘Oh my God, you snogged,’ Marley said jokingly, tossing herself backwards onto her bed again. When Lily didn’t answer, she sat up again. ‘Did you?’

Lily bit her lip and looked at her feet.

‘ _OH MERLIN!_ ’ Marley shrieked. ‘ _I THOUGHT YOU HATED HIM! HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?_ ’

‘No, it’s not like that!’ Lily insisted immediately, wide eyed and waving her hands around. ‘I _still_ really dislike him!’

‘ _Then what were you doing snogging him?’_

‘It was a bet!’ Lily wailed. ‘That’s why he had been reading that book! The deal was that – that if he finished it before fourth year, I would have to kiss him!’

‘Why on earth did you make a bet with _James?_ ’

‘It was all him! I didn’t want anything to do with it, and besides, I thought he couldn’t read!’

Marley let out a long, shocked exhale. ‘He’s a lot smarter than he lets on, Lils.’

‘I guessed that much,’ Lily muttered.

‘So,’ Marley said, more to herself than to Lily. ‘My cousin’s first kiss is my best friend. Wow . . .’

‘I’m not that happy about it either,’ Lily grumbled.

* * *

 

** Lily **

Little changed over the next few hours, except for the fact that the two of them moved to the lounge room and buried themselves beneath piles of blankets on the couch before the fire, quietly waiting for someone to come back. Lily could see that Marley was internally fretting over what was going to happen, but Lily was excited. No one she knew had had a baby since she was eight, and Lily _loved_ babies.

‘It’s generally a thing, you see,’ Marley said. ‘Most pure-blood families only tend to have one kid. I haven’t really, well, _seen_ a baby up close before.’

‘It’ll be fine,’ Lily reassured her. ‘You’ll love it.’

Right at that moment, the fireplace lit up green and a woman stepped out of it, two familiar figures appearing behind her seconds later.

‘Auntie Euphemia!’ Marley said, getting to her feet. ‘What news?’

‘I’m keeping it a surprise,’ Euphemia said with a smile. She looked at Lily. ‘And who is this?’

‘Lily, this is my aunt, and James’ mum. Euphemia, this is Lily Evans, one of my best friends.’

‘Pleasure,’ Euphemia said with a kind smile. ‘I thought I recognised your name from somewhere. James has talked about you a lot.’

Potter turned a funny colour of red behind his mother, and Lily felt herself blushing also. _What_ exactly had he told her? Sirius, who was standing beside him and was apparently staying with James for the holidays, shot an amused grin his way.

‘Well then, dears, we should go.’ Euphemia gave Marley a smile. ‘Your mother can’t wait to see you.’

* * *

 

‘There’s two of them. There’s _two_ of them.’

Marley, wide eyed and shocked, seemed quite unable to comprehend this fact. Mrs McKinnon, despite looking very tired, smiled at her daughter’s reaction.

‘Marley, meet your brothers, Michael and Andrew.’

‘They’re _boys?_ ’ Marley yelped. ‘There’s _two_ of them, and they’re _both_ boys?’

‘Oh, shush, Marley,’ Lily said, pushing past her. ‘They’re _adorable_.’ Mrs McKinnon let her hold one of the babies who had light coloured hair, just like Marley. Marley had an expression that clearly said she wouldn’t come near them with a ten-foot pole, so Potter got the other one. He sat in a plastic hospital-chair beside Lily, and their last encounter apparently went forgotten.

‘What _is_ this thing?’ he asked, awestruck. He looked at Lily. ‘I want twenty!’

‘Think of your poor wife,’ she said with a little laugh. ‘She would go nuts with that many children.’

‘But – but _look at it!_ It’s like a miniaturised, boy version of Marley!’

‘Gee, thanks, mate,’ came Marley’s irritable comment from the other side of the room.

‘Nah, I can see the similarities,’ Sirius said with a grin, peering over Lily’s shoulder. ‘You’ve definitely got the same nose.’

‘Leave my nose alone!’

‘I think it’s a nice nose, personally,’ Lily said lightly. ‘Perfectly straight, you see.’

Both Potter and Sirius made noises of agreement.

‘Stop talking about my nose!’ Marley burst out. Lily laughed, handed the baby to Sirius, and got up to give her friend a hug.

‘Calm down, Marley,’ she said jokingly. ‘It’s not _that_ bad.’

Marley pursed her lips then looked over at both of the babies, almost in a defeated way. ‘Fine. Maybe it’s not.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘Remus! The phone!’

As fast as his legs would carry him, Remus darted down into the kitchen, to where his mother was waiting with the telephone in her hands. She passed it to him and resumed preparing the Christmas dinner, which they were going to have later that day. He had been waiting for this call all morning, and had actually fallen flat on his face once when the phone had rung but had instead been someone else.

‘Hello?’ he said eagerly.

‘Rem! Merry Christmas!’

Remus laughed, feeling a wide, giddy grin stretch across his face upon hearing his best friend’s voice. ‘Merry Christmas, Kaye.’

‘Did I tell you the news? Lily’s owl got to me yesterday morning – Marley’s little brothers came a couple of days ago!’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Remus said, nodding even though he knew she couldn’t see him. ‘I saw James the other day and he wouldn’t shut up about them. He thinks it’s the best thing that’s happened since scrambled eggs on toast.’

She laughed. ‘Oh Merlin. That sounds like James, alright.’

‘Uh huh. He’s insisting that he wants twenty of his own.’

‘It’ll wear off in good time,’ Kayla said, sounding amused.

‘So, how’s your day been?’

‘Brilliant! We’re having some of the family over, and it’s really nice. Mum’s been doing a lot of cooking, and her boyfriend’s been helping out.’

‘Oh yeah. I’d forgotten that he was living with you now. What’s he like?’

‘I don’t know what to think, really.’ Judging by the temporary pause, Kayla had shrugged. ‘I mean, he’s better than the last guy, and he’s been nice enough to me. But he’s _very_ interested in where I go for an education, if you know what I mean.’

‘Oh.’ Remus swallowed. ‘Has anyone told him yet?’

‘No. I’ve told Mum he’s not going to know anything until I see his name on a marriage certificate. She agrees with me. You can never be too careful, after all.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ Remus said. ‘Are things starting to go down that path yet?’

‘Well . . .’ Kayla trailed off, as though she was thinking. ‘I actually think he might be planning to propose. I just really hope that things go right this time.’

‘So do I,’ Remus agreed, sinking down into a dining chair. ‘You and Dan need a father, Kaye, and your Mum deserves to be happy, too.’

Kayla sighed. 'Dan's twenty, Rem. He's okay. And I know I need a dad, but . . .'

‘But what?’

‘I’m not sure if I’m ready for him to be that figure in my life just yet. I’ve only just met him these holidays, and I barely know him.’

‘But, if it does happen, you’ll need to tell him who you are.’

‘I know,’ Kayla said again. There was a long moment of silence, before she said, ‘I’m going to get Mum to tell him if I’m not here. I mean, he ought to know the truth some time. It’s only fair.’

‘Yeah,’ Remus agreed. ‘You have a point there.’ He looked up as his mum tapped his shoulder and gestured for him to help. ‘I’ve got to go now – I’ll call back tonight, okay?’

There was another pause before Kayla replied. ‘Alright. See you, Rem.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

Lily was more than grateful she had been let out of the house for the afternoon. Petunia was becoming more than unbearable, with her snide, not-too-subtle comments that said Lily shouldn’t be in the house with so many “normal people” because she might “do something”. Lily had been close to reaching her breaking point and blowing up at her sister in front of a large portion of their family before Rose had intervened and suggested that Lily went to pay Severus a visit.

And that she did.

Now Lily was at the small, dingy house in Spinner’s End, spending an hour or two of what had been a pretty lousy Christmas with one of her best friends.

‘Petunia’s just jealous,’ Severus reassured her for the tenth time, sending Lily a look to enforce exactly what he thought of her sister. Lily sighed, yet again.

‘I _know_ , Sev. I just wish she wouldn’t be so vocal about it. And I wish she would try to fix things. I’m more than willing, and she’s just being . . . stubborn.’

‘But that’s in Petunia’s nature,’ Severus said. ‘She wants to be you, because you’re the special one.’

‘I’m no more special than she is,’ Lily said, chewing her bottom lip and feeling disgruntled. ‘You’re looking at my situation from a really biased angle, Sev. You’ve never liked Petunia. I don’t think you really know what she means to me.’

‘Then what _does_ she mean to you?’ Severus pressed. ‘ _Why_ do you want her to be nice to you?’

‘Look, ever since I was little, it was just me and Petunia. We were best friends, and I wanted to be just like her. If Petunia wanted to grow up and marry a fairy-tale prince, then I wanted to do that too. I always looked up to her, and she was the role model in my life. And then, well, you turn up one day and say that I’m a witch, and can do magic, but Petunia can’t. And that’s where things fell apart. I lost my best friend, because we were so different in that department, and couldn’t be together. But usually, if it’s just one thing, people get over it. But this is a _really_ big thing. It’s my life now, and Tuney isn’t part of it. So she became bitter, all because I was something she wasn’t. And that’s what hurts the most.’

‘Well, I s’pose you might have a point there,’ Severus muttered. ‘It’s just . . . she’s so horrible to you. If you can hate Potter, why can’t you hate her?’

‘I don’t “hate” anyone, Sev,’ Lily said patiently. ‘I don’t want to be that sort of person. And I’ve never had a good relationship with Potter in the past, and that’s why we don’t . . . get along. But why do you want to talk about _Potter_ of all people?’ Pushing a memory from that morning to the back of her mind, Lily rested her chin in her hands and looked at her friend pointedly. Severus drew a deep breath.

‘Well?’ she pressed.

‘Potter sent me a . . . “present”,’ he muttered bitterly. Lily grimaced, feeling a rush of pity for her friend.

‘Oh dear. He – he did that to me, too. There was something clearly alive and moving in the box, so I really didn’t want to touch it.’

‘Did you open it?’ Severus asked, actually looking rather angry. Seeing his expression, Lily made a split second decision.

‘No,’ she lied. ‘I just poked a few air-holes.’

That wasn’t what she had done at all. At first, she had listened to the rustling inside the box, quite alarmed. But when it started squeaking, curiosity had begun to get the better of her. Carefully, she opened the box ever so slightly.

A ball of cream-coloured fuzz had looked up at her, and Lily had very nearly screamed. From what she knew, it was a puffskein. Taped to the inside of the box, there was also a note.

 _Evans!_ it read.

_Happy Christmas, and I hope in Merlin’s name that you haven’t tossed this box out of the window, otherwise I’ll have to report you to the Puffskein Protection Committee._

_If you hadn’t already guessed, Mum wouldn’t let me acquire twenty babies by any means whatsoever. Really disappointing, actually. But this was the compromise. I got twenty Puffskeins. Neat, eh? So, considering that you didn’t hex the bejesus out of me after I won the bet (I will never, ever let that go, Evans. I will make sure to remind you of it every chance I get. I’ll even turn up at your wedding and inform your unlucky husband-to-be that you had the privilege of snogging_ me _. I’m sure that’ll add some awkwardness when you’re saying your vows.) you get this little fuzzball here. Just so you know, that thing is a little turd, and I’m glad to be passing it off. It crapped on my_ pillow _, and did that weird little laughing/squeaking thing they do when they know they’re causing you strife. I mean, the other ones are a little wild too, but this one has it out for me, I swear. So it’s all yours, lady._

_Anyway, I hope I just added a little more hell to your life (please tell me I did – nothing would make me happier) and I will wear a suit of armour stuffed with pillows whenever I see you again to keep my insides intact._

_Yours Marauderingly,_

_James._

_P.S. I don’t think a Puffskein Protection Committee actually exists, seeing that I made it up. So don’t go looking for one._

Funnily enough, no sooner than Lily had finished reading the letter than the Puffskein had jumped out of the box, crawled up her jumper (she had no idea how) and had covered her face in Puffskein saliva.

She was still yet to name the dratted thing.

‘Huh,’ Severus said, looking unimpressed. ‘Send it back to him and hope it eats him.’

‘Fair enough,’ Lily said with a little nod. ‘What did he send you, then?’

Severus gestured wordlessly to the bin in the corner of his room. An unopened parcel sat in it, quite as though it had been tossed. Biting her lip, Lily dashed into the hall, grabbed a broom from the cupboard and went back into Severus’ bedroom, before prodding the parcel suspiciously. Nothing happened. No explosions, no toxic gas, nothing. So, crossing her fingers and bracing herself for the worst, Lily ripped the paper off. The contents almost made her burst into laughter, even when she knew she shouldn’t.

It was a bottle of shampoo.


	44. Year 3 - Demon's Are On A Rampage

**_ 44 – Demons Are On A Rampage _ **

** Marlene **

‘Out of the way, twerp!’

Claire pushed Marley to the side as she marched into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Surprisingly enough, the sound didn’t jerk Imogen out of her sleep, and she continued to lie motionless in her bed. Marley rather graciously raised her middle finger at the door, and turned around, grumpy, irritable, and moody. Kayla and Lily were also still sleeping, having stayed up late the previous night doing homework.

Marley muttered a few choice insults under her breath, and decided to go and sit on her bed again. Right when she passed Claire’s bed however, she tripped over and landed in the other girl’s open trunk.

‘Bugger,’ she cursed, as her nose landed in an open container of foundation. She sneezed as the makeup rose in a cloud around her, and rolled to the side, furiously wiping the stuff off her face and swearing.

‘Bloody princess . . .’

There was a long pause of her just staring at her relative’s wide assortment of makeup and products. Then, suddenly, she had an idea.

Inspiration comes at the strangest times, doesn’t it?

She jumped to her feet, and gathered all of the makeup together in her arms. Actually, there was so much that Marley dragged a blanket off Claire’s bed and stuffed it all in there, tying it up like one of those bags-on-sticks. After a second thought she opened Imogen’s trunk too, and loaded her supply in there.

She ran down the staircase, taking steps three at a time, before the shooting up to the boys’ dormitory.

All of them – James, Sirius, Peter and Remus – were asleep and clearly not budging. So, grabbing a stray sheet of parchment and a quill, Marley scribbled a note, dumped both it and the bag on top of her cousin, and left.

* * *

 

** James **

James was the first to wake up that morning – a surprise, really. Normally Remus would be bustling about by this time, but no, the werewolf was in such a deep sleep that James felt he could bring a bludger in their dormitory to wreak havoc and he wouldn’t stir.

James pondered this for a second, and then sat up. What he saw immediately pushed all ideas from his mind. He reached out and picked the small blanket-bag off his legs and read the note attached to it.

There, in Marley’s small but loopy scrawl, was: _Use this, would you?_

Curious, James unfolded the material and found piles upon piles of makeup.

His immediate thought was _‘What the hell would I do with_ this _?’_ , but when his gaze wandered across the dormitory and over his fellow classmates, it clicked. A wide, malicious grin spread over his face and he leapt out of bed, carting the makeup with him.

‘Don’t move, Padfoot,’ he whispered, unscrewing a pot of something powdery and dipping a brush into it. ‘I’m gonna make you nice and pretty, now.’

Just as a life lesson – never let James Potter near makeup.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘IM-UH-GEN! WHERE IN MERLIN’S _GODDAMNED NAME_ DID MY MAKEUP GO?’

‘I DON’T KNOW, COUSIN _DEAR!_ ’ Imogen shot back, looking thoroughly disgruntled, with heavy bags under her eyes. ‘IF I KNEW WHERE MINE WAS, I MIGHT HELP YOU!’

‘MARLENE! MAKEUP! WHERE IS IT?’

‘I dunno, Claire,’ Marley lied smoothly, buttoning up her shirt and looking at the other girl. ‘I don’t speak Barbie-doll.’

‘I don’t even know what that is,’ Claire said flatly, ‘but I don’t care. Now help me find my makeup. Now!’

‘Nah,’ Marley said lightly, sliding across the floor in her socks to the gap between Lily and Kayla’s beds. She yanked the blankets off both of the sleeping forms in them, and ignored the shrieks she got in response.

So what if it was a cold morning? It was time to get up.

‘Back to the land of the living, ladies!’ Marley hollered in a shrill voice. ‘Up, up, _up!_ ’

Lily flopped around like a fish, while Kayla burrowed deeper into her mattress, curled up in a ball with her face buried in the bedsheet.

‘Just so you know, the demons are on a rampage!’ Marley added. Lily yelped and actually fell off her bed, and Kayla followed in suit. They both hit the floor, one on top of the other, and let out piteous wails as they were exposed to the icy cold surface.

‘ _Noooooo_ . . .’ Kayla moaned, getting off Lily. ‘I want to _sleep_.’ Shivering violently, she got to her feet and pulled on her dressing gown.

Lily was already going blue lipped, and stuck out her hands indicating for Marley to pull her up. The other girl did just that, and Lily snatched up the blanket pile, wrapping it around herself like a thick, woollen robe.

No sooner than they had done this, Claire appeared, hovering over Marley’s shoulder and positively _seething_.

‘Move it, you inconsiderate cows,’ she hissed, ‘and _find my makeup_.’

‘You know, I’m shocked you think that you actually _need_ makeup,’ Kayla muttered tiredly, rubbing her eyes and letting out a small yawn.

‘Shut up. Nobody’s perfect,’ Claire said irritably. ‘Now, no one is leaving, and you -’ She pointed at Kayla. ‘- are _certainly_ not going off to find your boyfriend until my makeup has reappeared. Got it?’

‘Aye, aye, captain,’ Lily grumbled, shuffling off to the bathroom for a shower. Kayla just blinked rather incredulously at Claire, mouthing the word _boyfriend_ , and Marley sent an array of dirty looks towards her, ahem, _relative_.

‘I have to ask,’ Kayla said, as the two of them went off into a corner, ‘if you’re somehow related to Claire, doesn’t that mean James is too?’

‘Not by blood,’ Marley replied. ‘Technically he isn’t related to her at all. I think the only reason that she and I are related is through marriage. I think. I’m pretty sure that she might be descended from the Prewetts in some way, actually; a million miles down the family tree. And then I think Imogen might actually come from the Malfoys . . .’

‘I’m glad I’m not in a wizarding family,’ Kayla said faintly. ‘It sounds complicated.’

‘Trust me, it is,’ Marley said. ‘I don’t know how I know _half_ of this crap, but it seems I do.’

‘You know, you’re a lot more intelligent than you let on,’ Kayla said with a little grin. Marley punched her in the shoulder, but was unable to keep from laughing.

‘You brat,’ she muttered. Kayla smirked, patted her on top of the head with a little ‘I know,’ and not even caring about Claire shrieking after her, sauntered out of the dormitory.

* * *

 

Marley was greeted by the most hilarious sight when she finally went down to the common room. There, sitting on the couch and looking incredibly tired, were Sirius, Remus and Peter, all with different expressions and a literal _tonne_ of makeup on their faces. Sirius, with enough pink blush, lipstick and eyeshadow to cater for both Claire and Imogen put together, looked sulky. Seemingly, Remus had been attacked with liquid eyeliner and mascara, and now had thoroughly blackened eyes. Half of the cosmetics had been smudged on his forehead and cheeks. Peter . . . oh Merlin . . . _Peter_ had been coated in the sparkly stuff. Glittery mascara, blush, lip gloss . . . everything reflected the light. And apparently, someone had taken the liberty to dump _actual_ glitter on him.

‘ _James,’_ Marley muttered, shaking her head and cackling, ‘ _what have you done?_ ’

Right at that moment, James bounced down the stairs, grinning manically.

‘Hello ladies!’ he called, drawing the attention of most of the common room. ‘I have to say, you all look positively _spiffing_ today!’

Sirius let out a string of curses, and Remus send a rude hand-gesture his way. James however, seemed undeterred.

‘You are the _worst_ , Jamsey,’ Marley said. ‘You went all-out, didn’t you? I didn’t think you’d go _this_ wild with it.’

Funny how at that moment, Claire came down from the dormitory and heard that sentence. She paused on the stairs, actually looking quite horrifying with the expression she was wearing, and Imogen nearly smacked into her from behind. The other girl still had heavy shadows beneath her eyes.

‘You _what?_ ’ Claire asked, her voice dangerous, slow, and quiet.

‘You heard me,’ Marley replied with a triumphant grin. ‘Don’t steal my shower next time, Demon Spawn.’

‘You will _die_ , Prongs,’ Sirius muttered from behind them.

* * *

 

** Remus **

Remus didn’t know what to do. As far has he had previously been aware _nothing_ made him completely irrational and want to act like a chicken. Except maybe, you know, the lycanthropy. And it wasn’t fair either, because _this_ he was still trying to figure out. Seriously, _what_ on earth made you want to imitate a breed of fowl?

He looked up just in time to see Kayla holding a jug, the liquid inside which was mere millimetres from tipping over the lip and onto his head. She laughed and jumped out of the way as he swiped at her, the result being half a jug of pumpkin juice tipped over his head.

_Nice._

Remus shook his head, spraying everyone around him with the orange drink. That portion of the Gryffindor table sent him disgruntled looks – getting up before ten on a Sunday was considered a crime among this lot. James was actually snoring with his face in his plate of bacon beside him. With most traces of makeup removed, save a patch below his eye, Sirius had dozed off with his head on Marley’s shoulder and Peter (who hadn’t bothered) was asleep against the other one. Squashed between the two, she resembled something quite like a sardine in a can.

The last two weeks back at school had been a bit of a mess. There had been a Quidditch match yesterday, which of course Gryffindor won, and potentially left Slytherin without a chance to compete for the Cup. That was, if Ravenclaw flattened them in their next match. A huge celebration had followed the game, not finishing until the early hours of the morning, when McGonagall had come up to the common room and shouted for everyone to go to bed. Then, in addition to all of this, teachers had already begun stressing the importance of their approaching exams in June – six months away. Even Remus thought it was a bit mad, starting revision this early, but the teachers knew best. He wasn’t going to go against their better knowledge.

To top things off, the frequent attempts of students sneaking as close as they could to the Whomping Willow had finally been dealt with by threats of severe punishment. Davey Gudgeon, a Hufflepuff fourth year, had nearly lost an eye when the tree went berserk and Remus couldn’t help but feel guilty whenever he saw him in the corridors. He was the reason the tree was there in the first place, after all.

Yes, life really was peachy, wasn’t it?

Kayla set down the jug and sat back in her seat beside Remus, her closeness triggering a funny feeling in his stomach. She grinned at him impishly, and he couldn’t help but grin feebly back, trying instead to focus on a faint little freckle on her forehead.

‘What?’ she asked, raising her eyebrows. Remus shook his head.

‘Nothing.’

‘Oh, I’m sure,’ she scoffed. ‘You look like you’ve swallowed something poisonous. Actually, for all I know, you have. So that either means you’ve taken up a new diet, or you’ve been making friends with those brightly coloured poisonous frogs, or -’

‘You know,’ Remus cut in, trying to steer away from the topic at hand, ‘you talk quite a lot now. Two years ago you wouldn’t say a word, and now you just won’t shut up.’

She grinned again. ‘Funny, that. Let’s say that I’m -’ She broke off, thinking. ‘- that I’m more . . . closed off until I get to know people, so to speak, but when I do . . .’ She stopped speaking and stuffed a chunk of croissant in her mouth.

‘Mmm hmm,’ Remus said, nodding with mock enthusiasm as he watched her chew. ‘Absolutely. A hundred percent right, there.’

She closed her eyes indignantly at him and stuck her nose in the air. Remus burst into laughter. 

There was a loud slam as James suddenly jerked awake and slammed his fists on the table.

‘I’ve got it!’ he shouted, loud enough for everyone nearby to turn and stare. ‘It’s ingenious! Why in Merlin’s name didn’t I think of it before?’

‘Because you’re dense?’ Remus posed dryly. James pointedly ignored him.

‘This could change life as we know it, and – and _I_ thought of it!’ He beamed. ‘Genius! Padfoot, come with me.’

He shook a confused Sirius awake and attempted to drag him away. The latter gave a noise of complaint, his eyes still squeezed tightly shut, and clung on to Marley.

‘ _Nooooooo_ ,’ he moaned. ‘I wanna _sleep . . ._ ’

Marley pushed him off her. ‘Move it, you git. Go see what your boyfriend’s “ingenious” idea is.’ The force of her pushing sent Sirius sliding straight off the bench, and he hit the stone floor with a loud smack.

‘ _Marleeeeeeeeey . . .’_ he whimpered. ‘Don’t be so _meeeeeean . . ._ ’

‘Yes, yes, I’m a horrible, inconsiderate cow,’ she said offhandedly. ‘I know.’

James hauled Sirius to his feet, and they both scampered out of the hall.

Seriously, that was the correct term for it. Scampered.           


	45. Year 3 - The Magical Mirrors of Hogwarts

**_ 45 – The Magical Mirrors of Hogwarts _ **

** Sirius **

‘Mirrors,’ James said, grinning broadly. Sirius stared at him blankly.

‘What?’

‘Mirrors.’

‘Prongs, mate, you’re making no sense.’

James sighed, rolled his eyes, and repeated, ‘ _Mir-rors.’_

‘And I’m the Queen of England.’

James frowned at him. ‘No you’re not.’

Sirius crossed his arms. ‘Who says I can’t be? If I express desires to become the Queen of England, then I have the right to try and achieve such things, don’t I?’

James stared absently at him. Sirius sighed heavily, and the other boy said, ‘I don’t know how you would turn into a _girl_ , Padfoot.’

‘Why do I have to be a girl?’ Sirius posed indignantly.

‘Queen of England, Sirius. _Queen_ of England.’       

‘I’m sure plenty of blokes have been queens in the past,’ Sirius said, shrugging offhandedly.

‘Only the confused ones.’

In Sirius’ head such things were possible, as ruling only came down to how good looking you were - in his opinion, anyway. For some reason, if he ever mentioned guys being queens and birds being kings, people looked at him as though he were mad. He still wasn’t quite sure why. Don’t parents always encourage kids to grow up and be what they want? So why couldn’t he be a queen?

‘It’s a _gender-based­_ thing, Sirius,’ James said tiredly. ‘If you’re a bloke, just like you and me, we would automatically be _kings_. That is, if we somehow end up in the royal family tree, which isn’t going to happen.’

‘You’re saying smart things,’ Sirius said flatly. ‘Did you swallow Moony?’

‘No!’ James responded, looking offended. ‘I can be smart sometimes, too!’

‘Nah, you’ve swallowed Moony.’ Sirius took two big strides forward and forced open James’ mouth, looking down his throat. ‘ _Moony!_ Speak to me, mate! Let me know if you can hear me!’

‘Garglableh . . . mgnef . . .’

‘Tell me you’re alive, Moony! _Please!_ Don’t leave me with only Peter for company!’

James made a strangled noise of indignation.

‘I mean, Pete’s great, of course, but he doesn’t get my jokes half of the time.’ Sirius scratched his chin. ‘And for some reason he doesn’t respond well to being covered with glitter and stuffed in a pig suit. I don’t understand why – I mean, I would _love_ that. But _Mooooooony!_ Get out of James’ stomach, please!’

James continued to make funny noises, and Sirius leaned back, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

‘Your breath is _horrible_ , James. Full-on _horrible_. Do you ever brush your teeth? Does eating a Remus not end with good results? ’

James made a sound of outrage and tried to wrestle his head out of Sirius’ grip, to no avail.

‘Anyway,’ Sirius said, letting go of him at last. ‘What were we talking about?’

 James took a few steps back and spat a large glob of undefinable substance onto the floor. Sirius automatically squealed (in a manly way, of course) and darted away.

‘ _Anyway_ ,’ James said irritably. ‘Mirrors.’

There was a long pause.

A _really_ long pause.

‘I still don’t get it,’ Sirius said. James sighed heavily.

‘We’re like a couple with communication issues.’

‘We do _not_ have communication issues!’ Sirius cried, aghast. ‘Why, we know each other so well we’re like two peas in a pod!’

‘You’re speaking nonsense,’ James replied. ‘But see, this idea I’ve had is really, _really_ great. We get two mirrors you see, and – _are you even listening?’_

Sirius had just nicked James’ wand and was now squatting down on the floor, about to poke the spit with it.

 _What?_ He wanted to see if it would move!

‘Gimme that!’ James said irritably, snatching his wand out of his grip. ‘Now, anyway - you know how the teachers have started giving us separate detentions ever since we blew up one of the dungeons when being left to clean cauldrons?’

Interest suddenly aroused, Sirius looked up and nodded. ‘Yeah.’

‘Well, I reckon that if we enchant these mirrors, we’ll still be able to talk in separate detentions.’

Sirius felt his eyes widen. ‘ _Genius, Prongsie! Absolute flipping GENIUS!’_

‘I know,’ James said with a little smirk. ‘I know.’

‘Just . . . how are we going to do this?’

‘Erm . . .’ James suddenly faltered. ‘I don’t know yet. But I’m sure Moony will have some ideas.’

‘Right,’ said Sirius with a vigorous nod. ‘When in doubt, get Moony to do it.’

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. ‘But . . . you swallowed Moony.’

James gave an almighty groan, slapping his hand to his forehead. ‘For Merlin’s sake, Sirius, I did _not_ swallow Remus! He’s still out there in the Great Hall, happily enjoying his breakfast while we wind ourselves in circles with this conversation!’

‘ _Ohhhhh . . .’_

‘Yeah. _Oh.’_

‘Well, I think that if we want to do this, we may have to set foot in . . . _the library_.’

‘I didn’t think of that,’ James breathed. ‘This is gonna be dangerous.’

‘All for the greater good, Prongsie. Remember that.’

‘Agreed.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley didn’t know what the two of them were planning to do with mirrors, but she really couldn’t have cared less. James and Sirius were sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table in the common room, and Marley had tossed herself lopsidedly into an armchair right behind Sirius. The two of them were pouring over books and scribbling down ideas.

Truth be told, she was actually a little worried.

They were using their _brains_.

She actually didn’t know they had any. But, apparently they did. In fact, they were so engrossed in this activity that she reckoned she could braid Sirius’ hair and he wouldn’t notice.

In fact, that was what she was going to do. She detangled a rubber band from the depths of her hair, winced a little as she tugged it out of a whopper sized knot, and looked back at Sirius.

Yep. Definitely long enough to braid.

Sirius didn’t even flinch as she started dividing it up into sections, and continued to pour over a book called _Charms Made Easy_ , chewing his quill and tapping his fingers absently on his parchment.

‘What are you doing?’ asked a quiet voice by her shoulder. Marley looked around to see that Kayla had joined her, watching on with raised eyebrows.

‘What does it look like?’ Marley said. ‘This is exactly what it says on the tin, lady.’

‘And he doesn’t care?’

‘Apparently not.’

Kayla laughed quietly, sitting down beside her, while Sirius scribbled something down on the parchment before showing it to James.

‘Males are so dense,’ Marley said with a satisfied grin.

‘Not entirely,’ Kayla said. ‘They have brainpower in them, believe it or not.’

‘Some might,’ Marley replied, ‘but those two don’t.’

‘I heard that,’ James muttered.

Sirius seemed to snap out of a trance, and looked around, blinking stupidly. ‘Huh?’

‘Does that not reinforce my point?’ Marley asked dryly.

Kayla burst into laughter.

Just as Marley tied off the braid, Sirius seemed to realise it was there, and reached up to touch it. ‘What in Merlin’s name . . . ?’

‘You look very attractive, Sirius,’ Kayla said with a little nod.

‘Absolutely,’ Marley agreed.

‘What did you do?’ Sirius asked suspiciously, putting his hands in his hair. James took one look and burst into laughter.

‘Wait, it’s not done yet,’ Marley said. She conjured up a bouquet of flowers and began picking the heads off the stalks, putting them in the braid. ‘There we go.’

‘Stop trying to decrease my manliness,’ Sirius whined. ‘I don’t do flowers, Marley!’

‘Lies,’ Marley shot back, grinning broadly. ‘You look lovely.’

‘ _Noooo . . ._ ’

‘ _Yessss . . ._ ’

With that, she also transfigured the leftover stalks into a mirror, before shoving it in front of his face. ‘Looky looky.’

Sirius blanched as he took in his head from all angles, tilting it back and forth. He gaped stupidly, mouthing undefinable words and looking like a fish out of water.

‘So manly,’ Kayla murmured, an amused smirk pulling at her mouth.

‘So, _so_ manly,’ Marley added.

‘It brings out your jaw, you see.’

‘Makes it a lot broader and defined. You’re just like a statue, Sirius. A moving one, that is.’

Sirius didn’t speak. James just ogled at the pair of them like they were mad, his jaw slack and a little stunned.

‘Padfoot,’ he said after a long moment of silence. ‘Is it possible for you to look so . . . _feminine?_ ’

‘ _WHAT?_ ’ Sirius yelped, leaping to his feet. ‘ _FEMININE?_ ’

‘Yup,’ James said solemnly. ‘We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of Sirius Black’s manliness. He has just descended down the road of girly habits and flower-picking . . .’

‘No!’ Sirius moaned, clutching at his face in agony. _‘_ No, Prongsie, how _could_ you?’

‘A truly tragic loss indeed,’ James went on, ‘as Sirius was never much of a man to begin with . . .’

Marley burst into insane cackling, clutching onto Kayla for support. ‘How can you say _that_ , James? He’s thirteen!’ With that, she dissolved into another round of uncontrollable seal-noises. Kayla wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, leaning back into the couch and struggling to breathe.

‘Oh _Merlin_ ,’ she choked out, a little red in the face. ‘What goes on in your _head?_ ’

‘Best not to ask,’ Marley replied. ‘We might not come out alive if we knew . . . Besides, Sirius’ is probably madder.’

‘And what’s that supposed to imply?’ Sirius asked obnoxiously, his expression one of mock offence. ‘There’s sunshine and rainbows and prancing lambs in _my_ head, McKinnon!’

‘Pretty sure the lambs are dying,’ Kayla muttered through subtle coughing.

‘I _heard_ that,’ Sirius told her.

‘I bet you did . . .’

‘We’re best buddies, Shortie!’ Sirius insisted. ‘You adore me to death, and vice versa!’

‘You know what that term means?’

‘No.’ Sirius shook his head incredulously, apparently not listening to her. ‘I will not tolerate this Sirius-bashing. C’mon, let’s hug and make up.’

Kayla’s eyebrows shot about two inches up her forehead.

‘ _Excuse me?_ ’ James asked, his voice about an octave higher than usual. ‘ _What_ did you just say?’

Sirius mulled his last statement over in his head, and after a moment, swore. ‘That’s not manly in the slightest. I’m not helping my case here.’

‘Well, let’s see,’ Kayla said, crossing her arms. ‘Is Remus manly?’

‘He reads too many books,’ James and Sirius answered in unison.

There was a heavy sigh from the female party in this conversation. ‘But,’ she asked again, ‘is he _manly?_ ’

‘A little,’ Sirius said. ‘I guess. It actually hurts when he smacks me upside the face . . .’

‘No wonder,’ Marley said dryly.

‘And,’ Kayla continued, ‘I give Remus hugs all the time. Does that make a difference?’

The boys exchanged a look.

‘Remus is officially demoted of any manly status he may have had in the past,’ James said.

‘Agreed,’ Sirius said, nodding. ‘Such things are an offensive crime to manliness.’

‘You know, it’s incredibly hard to take you seriously with daisies in your hair,’ Marley interjected. Sirius hands immediately shot up to the flowers once more, and he gave an almighty groan.

‘And,’ Kayla added, ‘since you’re no longer manly, it wouldn’t hurt if you hugged me, would it?’ There was a sly grin playing at her mouth, and she watched Sirius with amusement as he appeared to be having a rather intense mental battle.

‘No,’ he said in defeat after a long while. ‘I suppose not, Shortie.’ With that, he leaned over and gave Kayla an awkward one-armed hug, and she blinked owlishly, clearly a little surprised he had actually complied.

‘But,’ he added loudly as James started to howl with raucous laughter, ‘I demand that my manliness be reinstated as soon as possible.’

‘Give it fifty years, Padfoot,’ James choked out, slapping his knee. ‘Maybe forty if you’re lucky.'

* * *

 

** Remus **

Remus sat in the stairwell to the boys’ dormitory, watching and thinking. To most that might appear a little creepy, but in all honesty, that’s what it was. Watching.

Well, watching Kayla to be completely honest.

So what if he felt the urge to go and talk to her right now? So what if he didn’t have the guts? So _what_ if being around her made a violent horde of butterflies spring up in his stomach? So what if she made him so happy that he grinned like a madman all the time? So what if he always wanted her to notice him? _So what?_

There was generally supposed to be a logical reason behind these sorts of things. And, even if this were the muggle world, there would be some scientific theory or whatever. But no, Remus was presently left to his own devices. And it _sucked_. He was completely useless in this department, seeing that he was struggling to work it out.

Well . . . maybe not completely useless, but dense enough as it was. He was _Remus Lupin_ for Merlin’s sake - third year nerd, member of the Marauders and resident teenage werewolf. An odd combination, really.

And here he was now, trying to understand _girls._

His stomach gave a lurch as Kayla laughed at something Sirius said, and he bit his lip, leaning back against the stair and feeling just a _tiny_ bit jealous.

Of course, she was always pretty. This wasn’t one of those sudden-realisation things – he _knew_ Kayla. In fact, he knew almost everything about her; what she liked, what she hated and her reactions to various things. He knew she was pretty, and he knew she was smart. He knew she was shy around new people, and he knew she could get a little hot-headed at times. And he liked her for all of those things. He liked her a lot.

But she was his friend. That was the key factor in this. He was good enough – in her eyes, no less – to be considered her best friend. And that made him so happy that he felt as though a balloon was rapidly expanding in his chest.

Though that was great . . . did he want something more? He didn’t know, but he was starting to realise something. He sighed, and involuntarily smiled as she looked around, noticed him, got to her feet, and started crossing the room.

Maybe he liked Kayla a _little_ more than as a friend.

Hopefully no one would notice.


	46. Year 3 - Like-Like? Seriously?

**_ 46 – Like-Like? Seriously? _ **

** Sirius **

‘Moony fancies someone and I know exactly who,’ Sirius announced the next morning, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. Remus, who was midway through taking a gulp of pumpkin juice, choked, sprayed the drink everywhere, and spent the next minute getting his back thumped by James as he spluttered and gasped for air.

‘You _what?_ ’ he finally managed, looking up at Sirius, white faced. ‘ _What did you say?_ ’

‘You like Shortie,’ Sirius whispered, looking at him triumphantly. ‘Don’t you.’

It wasn’t a question.

‘I . . .’ Remus looked around frantically, not meeting Sirius’ gaze. ‘I . . . no . . . ?’

‘Don’t lie, Moony,’ he said, smirking. ‘I can read it all in your eyes.’

James looked at Sirius in surprise. ‘Since when can you do that?’

‘Since forever,’ Sirius replied absently. ‘But hey, even Wormtail would be able to see this. Can’t you, Pete?’

Peter made a big show of leaning forward and studying Remus intently, his nose about half a centimetre away from the other boy’s. ‘Hmm . . .’ He cocked his head to the side. ‘Is it a hint that Remus is looking like a terrified chicken right now?’

‘I think so,’ James said, also leaning in. ‘And he’s going really red. I think that’s a hint, too.’

Remus, who was indeed starting to resemble a tomato, leaned away from them a little. ‘I don’t fancy anyone,’ he tried weakly. ‘Honest.’

‘You, Moony,’ Sirius said, giving him a sharp jab on the nose, ‘are a big, fat liar. And you know it.’

‘I . . .’ Remus really was terrible at defending himself when he was cornered. ‘I -’

‘-fancy the girl that is coming this way _right now_ ,’ James supplied, giving a not-so-subtle jerk of the head towards the doors. Sure enough, Kayla was making her way over to the Gryffindor table.

Remus seemed to have a complete spack-attack then and there.

‘Hide me!’ he whispered in a harsh voice, at least two octaves higher than usual. Sirius obliged and put his hands on his head, shoving the other boy beneath the table.

‘Coward!’ he hissed as he did so. Remus just made a funny noise and hesitated, but stayed beneath the table.

‘Hey.’ Kayla appeared at Sirius’ shoulder, looking around. ‘Seen Remus?’

James made a strange choking noise, and Peter thumped him on the back.

‘Remus isn’t hiding under the table,’ the smaller boy said unhelpfully. ‘Because he has more dignity than that. So he’s definitely not down – OW!’

He recoiled and drew his right leg up on the bench with him, examining a newly acquired red, hand shaped mark on his thigh. ‘ _Ow . . ._ ’

‘Sheesh, that’s gonna sting,’ James commented, examining it with a look of sympathy. Kayla raised her eyebrows, looking mildly amused, and leant over to look under the table. ‘Hello, Rem. What are you doing down there?’

‘Nothing!’ Remus squeaked a little too quickly, hurrying to sit back up next to Sirius again. ‘I was getting my fork!’

‘ _Right,_ ’ she said, clearly not believing him in the slightest. She sat down in the small gap between he and Sirius, and the former scratched the back of his neck nervously. Sirius grinned. He loved it when he was right.

Most of the meal was passed through the boys all shooting each other strange looks, while Remus focused intently on his bacon and Kayla looked around, clearly wondering what the hell was going on.

Sirius had, on many occasions, mouthed ‘ _Snog her’_ , behind Shortie’s back, however after the first three times Remus had stopped acknowledging him and was obviously trying to keep a straight face.

After a while, Kayla finally spoke. ‘Did you see the notice in the common room? There’s a Hogsmeade trip on Valentine’s weekend.’

Sirius whipped around, his eyes immediately meeting up with James’. He shot a pointed look in Remus’ direction, trying to get a silent message across to him. After about five seconds, James put two and two together, and he grinned.

‘Oh yes, we knew,’ Peter said in answer to Kayla’s question. ‘I bet Madam Puddifoot’s will be full.’

Kayla pulled a face. ‘That place is all right, I guess, but on Valentine’s I’ve heard it’s revolting. Something about bows and frills and cherubs and things.’

Peter mirrored her expression while James and Sirius continued exchanging meaningful looks. ‘Yuck.’

‘Mmm. Are any of you planning on taking someone?’

That sentence caught Sirius’ attention. ‘Probably,’ he answered immediately. ‘I’ve been asked three times by girls I don’t know, but there’s bound to be someone who’s . . . closer to my age.’

‘Why, how old were they?’ Kayla asked with an amused grin.

He shrugged. ‘Fifth year, I think.’

‘ _Wow_.’

‘Yeah.’

At that moment, he looked further down the table and spotted Lily, who was reading the Daily Prophet over a bowl of porridge. ‘Red!’

She muttered a feeble ‘Hello, Sirius,’ and he slid along the bench to be beside her.

‘How’s Prongs’ favourite bird doing today?’

‘I’m not Potter’s property,’ she replied absently, turning a page.

‘But you are a bird.’

‘Yes . . .’

‘And you’re going to Hogsmeade?’

‘Yes . . .’

‘On Valentine’s day?’

‘Yes . . .’

‘And you won’t go with James under any circumstances?’

‘Mmm hmm . . .’

‘And you’re not going with a guy, correct?’

‘Yes . . .’

‘You want to go with me?’

‘Yes . . .’

It took a full ten seconds for Lily to realise what she had said. It also took Sirius the same amount of time to come to terms with what had just come out of his mouth.

‘ _What?_ ’ they both yelped in unison, looking at each other with wide eyes. ‘ _What did you just say?_ ’

‘I don’t know!’ Sirius wailed. ‘Why the hell did you say yes, Red? James is gonna _kill me!_ ’

‘Why the hell did you _ask me?_ ’ Lily shrieked back. ‘Oh _Merlin!_ ’

The Marauders looked around at the sudden noise and shuffled down the bench to them. ‘What’s going on?’ Kayla asked.

‘I just did something stupid,’ Sirius moaned.

‘Seconded,’ Lily agreed, burying her face in her hands.

James raised an inquiring eyebrow. ‘What . . . ?’

There was a long pause before anything was said. Then finally: ‘Sirius,’ Lily started, ‘just asked me to Hogsmeade on Valentine’s Day.’

Those words took a while to sink in.

After a moment however, James’ eyes widened. ‘ _WHAT?_ ’ he cried. ‘ _PADFOOT, YOU TRAITOR!’_

Even though in the end he would have to explain anyway, Sirius screamed and ran out of the hall. James was hot at his heels and judging by the sound of it, trying to hex him.

* * *

 

** Remus **

_Coward, coward, coward, coward, coward, just do it already, coward, coward . . ._

‘You’re putting all of werewolf-kind to shame, Remus,’ he muttered to himself, walking down the corridor with his hands stuffed in his pockets. ‘You’re supposed to have more guts than this.’

He spared a fleeting glance up at the girl a good distance ahead of him, and took a deep breath. ‘Come on, you can do this. It’s just a simple question . . .’

He swallowed, his mouth dry.

Damn his friends. After James had caught up with Sirius and beaten the crap out of him for asking his “future wife” to Hogsmeade (insert dramatic eye-roll here) they had started hounding him to ask Kayla to go with him on Valentine’s Day.

Remus had vehemently protested the weirdness of such an idea, but those two thought otherwise. So, in need of backup, Remus tried to rope Peter onto his side, who only deserted him immediately when Sirius bribed him with food.

Amazing friends he had.

_Not._

So now, while the other three hovered beneath the invisibility cloak some distance away, Remus was slowly making his way over to Kayla, who was, might he add, completely unaware of all this.

Merlin, he was going to faint. He knew it.

 _Just do it_.

He cleared his throat, then finally called, ‘Hey, Kaye!’

Kayla stopped and turned, a little smile gracing her features. ‘Rem.’

‘I, erm . . .’ He hurried forward and came to a stop next to her. ‘Hi.’

She grinned. ‘You’ve already said that.’

‘I . . . have?’

She nodded, and he swallowed nervously. ‘Oh, right. Yeah.’

‘You okay, Rem?’ she asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘You were acting a bit funny at breakfast.’

‘Because my friends are gits,’ he blurted immediately.

There was a pause. Then, ‘Ah. I see. What are they getting you to do now?’

‘I . . . well . . . I . . .’

‘You what?’

‘Do you want to . . . I mean . . . oh Merlin . . .’

‘Do I what?’

‘Would you like to . . .’

Kayla cocked her head to the side, looking at him with an expression of utter amusement. But then she did the thing he least expected. She finished his sentence.

‘Go to Hogsmeade with you?’

Remus froze. ‘How . . . How did you know I was going to say that?’

She laughed and folded her arms. ‘I’m not stupid, Remus. That one question has been going around the school all day. People are asking each other left, right and centre. So I figured that was what you were going to ask me.’

Remus absently scratched the back of his neck. ‘Well. You just made that a lot easier for me. So . . . erm, will you?’

She smiled. ‘I’d be happy to, Rem. I mean, I’m your friend. Besides, I think the girls have plans anyway. It’d be something to do.’

Remus nodded, but couldn’t help notice the sinking feeling in his chest at one of those words. _Friend._

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Lily, please tell me what I’m hearing is _not_ true!’

Lily looked up in surprise as Severus sat down in the chair next to her in the Library. Despite the fact that they were completely concealed by bookshelves, she cast a wary glance around in case Madam Pince heard his raised voice.

‘Lily,’ he repeated. She snapped her attention back to him.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I’ve heard the most god-awful thing.’

Lily felt herself visibly pale. ‘What is it?’

His mouth tightened, and a heavy frown set between his eyebrows. ‘You’re not going to Hogsmeade with _Black._ You’re _not_.’

She didn’t know what to say. It had only been about a day since Sirius had accidentally asked her to the village, and she had been doing her best to push it out of her mind. It had never occurred to her that Severus might find out.

But now, here it was. And he clearly thought that it was just a rumour – and not true. But how was she going to tell him this without causing something catastrophic? She was going on a sort-of-not-really _date_ (on Valentine’s Day, no less) with one of his worst enemies. At their age, betrayal didn’t really sink much lower than that.

‘Sev,’ she said quietly, ‘ _please_ keep in mind that this was _completely_ unintentional on both of our parts -’

‘You’re not saying you _are_ going with him?’ Severus hissed, sounding both horrified and shocked. ‘ _Lily!_ ’

‘No, Sev, please listen,’ she said insistently. ‘Sirius was just being silly. He didn’t mean to ask me; he was just as shocked as I was. It just slipped out -’

‘But you said _yes!_ ’ he shot back, looking furious. ‘You said _yes_ , Lily, and I can’t damn well believe you’d do something like that! So why are you going with him? You don’t want to, so why don’t you just call it off, huh?’

‘Like I said, I’m going to give this a chance. And besides, it’s helping Sirius in a way too, because he isn’t being chased around by girls who are three years older than him. It’s not entirely a bad thing!’

‘You _hate_ Black -’

‘I don’t hate _anyone!_ ’ Lily put in heatedly, now frustrated that he was getting so upset over this. ‘Why don’t you understand that, Sev? You might, but I don’t want to be like that! I don’t _hate_ Black, or Potter for that matter, and I want to move over this as soon as possible. Who knows, I might _actually_ have a good time! Just because I’m your friend, I’m not obligated to think the same things as you, feel the same emotions as you, or for that matter, dislike the same people as you!’

Severus looked as though he had been struck.

Now breathing rather quickly, Lily did another scout around the area for Madam Pince before looking back again.

‘Now, if you’re done being a prat,’ she said quietly, ‘I’d much like to talk about something else.’

Severus swallowed. ‘Right,’ he replied. ‘Okay, fine.’ There was a long pause before he spoke again. ‘Sorry.’

Lily chewed her lip before properly looking at him. ‘S’alright.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘I feel horrible, lost, abandoned, and single,’ Marley said flatly to the big pile of blankets and pillows she was sitting on. ‘All of my lady friends have _dates!_ God, that’s a really foreign word to me,’ she added as an afterthought. ‘Romantic terms just sound _wrong_.’

‘Do they?’ the pile mumbled back to her.

‘That they do, cousin dear.’

‘Right. Well, I don’t really care at the moment, seeing that all of the air’s been squashed outta my lungs.’

‘Oh, shut up,’ Marley responded. ‘You _do_ care. The supposed love of your life’s just been stolen out from under your nose. _You’re_ sulking, that’s what you’re doing.’

‘‘M not _sulking_.’

‘Yes you are,’ Marley shot back. ‘Why else would you be trying to drown yourself in fabric?’

‘It’s warm under here.’

‘Yeah, _sure_. _That’s_ why you can’t breathe.’

The pile grumbled and shuffled a bit, but Marley didn’t move.

‘Don’t worry, bud,’ she said. ‘We can be single and alone together. We’re not tied down by the rules of romance.’

‘Romance is the crappiest thing ever.’

‘Agreed. And useless. And stupid. Pretty bloody stupid.’

‘You couldn’t be more right.’

Marley nodded to herself before saying, ‘No one’s ever told me that before. I’m never generally right. Everyone just comes to the universal agreement that I’m dead stupid and moves on.’

The pile wasn’t listening. ‘Dates are stupid, too. And best mates. And people that you go on dates with . . .’

She sighed. ‘Do you think that I’m smart, Oh-so-wise Pillow Pile?’

‘When you want to be,’ it replied. ‘You just don’t make sense half the time, that’s all. And no one bothers to listen to you because of it.’

Marley picked at her fingernails. ‘Gee. Thanks.’ She sighed. ‘You’ve got a point, though.’

‘I always have a point,’ the pile said. ‘But I’m like you. No one really listens to me, either.’

‘It must run in the family,’ she thoughtfully. ‘If I have psychopathic, curly haired Marley children, no one’s gonna listen to them either.’

‘I wouldn’t blame ‘em.’

‘Oi!’ She socked the pile, even though it couldn’t feel it. ‘You’re not making me feel better. At least I’m trying to be considerate towards your cause.’

‘ _This_ is being considerate?’

‘Call it a comforting weight,’ she responded absently, reaching out with her foot to kick some dirty laundry away from the two of them. However, when she had finally gotten it onto her big toe and lifted it into the air did she finally realise what it was.

‘Eugh!’ she shrieked, kicking it away violently. The pile beneath her let out a few _oomphs_ as it suffered from almost direct impact as she flailed around. ‘Yuck! Oh my god . . .’

‘Why do males _always_ have to leave their _underwear_ all over the place?’ she moaned. ‘ _Why?_ ’

‘Girls do it too,’ the pile shot back. ‘I’ve seen the state of that dormitory Marley, so you can’t really talk.’

‘Yeah, but it’s not gross when it’s _us_ ,’ Marley said, sticking her nose in the air.

‘ _Sure_ ,’ it replied dryly.

‘See, this is why we get along so well. We think the same way.’

‘We do?’

‘Funnily enough, yes.’

‘I never realised that.’

‘Oh, yeah, _now’s_ the time you choose to be ironic,’ Marley grumbled. ‘Come on, Mister Pillow Pile. I want to eat.’

‘Mister Pillow Pile doesn’t _want_ to go.’

‘Mister Pillow Pile is sulking,’ Marley said, crossing her arms. ‘Will chocolate change his mind?’

‘No.’

 She let out a heavy sigh. ‘Mister Pillow Pile needs to move _someday_.’ With that, she plunged her hands into the depths of the material, fumbling around for a bit until her hand closed around a wrist. ‘Now come on, _up!_ ’

Despite the slight difficulty she faced, all the same, Marley pulled the owner of the wrist to their feet. Upon seeing their face however, she nearly keeled backwards.

‘Sweet mother of Merlin! What have you been _doing?_ ’

James Potter folded his arms and scuffed his feet against the ground. ‘I was overcome by a sudden ambition to turn the dormitory blue. It . . . didn’t exactly work. It turned my _eyebrows_ blue instead.’

‘ _Why?_ ’

He spared a quick glance up at her before looking back down again. ‘Sulking . . .’

She crossed her arms. ‘You’re going to have to get over it someday, James. You can’t spend your entire life waiting for Lily. Go and do something else. I dunno, take somebody different to Hogsmeade, and forget about her for a while.’ Though in the back of her mind Marley knew that they had to get together in the end, she hated seeing her cousin being like this. So now she was doing something about it. She knew Lily would have to come around eventually, but until that happened James would have to distract himself with something else. Even if that something else was a little bit drastic.

James pondered her words for a short while, then looked at her. He gave a nod. ‘Right. I’m . . . I’ll see you later.’

With that, he left the dormitory.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Lily called from the bathroom. ‘This shirt just seems so . . . I dunno, _orange_.’

‘Yeah, no,’ Kayla responded. She turned away from her own wardrobe and made a beeline straight for Lily’s, before tossing the doors open. She unhooked a few shirts off their hangers and tossed them on the bed. ‘Orange is bad. Come and try some of these on.’

Lily stepped out of the bathroom, and Marley, who was sitting by the door in jeans and a t-shirt, sighed. ‘Oh, Lil. Orange? With a _purple_ skirt?’

‘What?’ Lily said defensively. ‘I just wanted to try it.’

‘And _clearly_ that failed,’ Claire scoffed, who was sitting on her own bed while Imogen braided her hair. ‘Why the hell did Black want to go with you anyway?’

Lily chose not to answer this, and instead walked straight over to Kayla.

‘Right,’ Kayla said. ‘Take that shirt off, and try this one.’ She passed her a pale green singlet top. She cast a quick glance over at Imogen. ‘Purple and green works, yeah?’

Imogen shrugged offhandedly, not looking up. ‘Depends.’

Claire spared a quick glance over at them. ‘That should be fine. Won’t clash with your hair, but don’t touch those boots of yours. _Way_ too outlandish to fit in.’

‘Fair enough,’ Lily replied with a little shrug while pulling the shirt off over her head.

Yes, believe it or not, the entire dormitory was being civil with each other. No lie. And that _never_ happened. Though, it may have had something to do with the fact that James had asked Claire to the village, thus leaving her in better spirits than usual. Kayla was actually enjoying the lack of fighting at the present moment.

Imogen finished the braid and Claire got to her feet, adjusting the various bangles on her wrists. Despite the relationship Kayla had with the other girl, she couldn’t deny that she looked really pretty today. Her bright blue eyes seemed so much different to usual – like she was actually happy, and not . . . spiteful or nasty. Only then did it occur to Kayla just how much Claire fancied James. And now, things were finally going right for her. The boy had actually taken a moment to stop being so hung up on Lily and pay attention to somebody else. ‘Right. I’m going. James is probably waiting for me.’ With that, she strode out of the dormitory. Imogen however, stayed where she was. Marley raised her eyebrows at her.

‘You goin’ after her?’ she posed. Imogen gave a half shrug.

‘No. I’m leaving with some friends later.’

‘You _have_ other friends?’ she asked dryly.

‘Believe it or not, _yes_ ,’ Imogen replied. ‘The world isn’t black and white like how you see it, Marlene. There’s more to it.’

‘I never said it was black and white,’ Marley responded, getting to her feet. ‘I was just surprised, that’s all.’

Imogen sighed, and tied her strawberry-blonde hair back into a ponytail. ‘I’m leaving. Bye.’

Marley gave her back a mock salute as she left, and kicked the door shut behind her. ‘Good riddance.’

‘Imogen’s not that bad on her own, Marley,’ Kayla said, now putting Lily’s hair into a plait. ‘Maybe you should give her a chance instead of, you know, trying to pick a fight with her all the time.’

‘Were _you_ raised with her?’ Marley asked flatly. After Kayla shook her head, she gave a short nod. ‘Right. And I know them better. Case closed.’

Kayla gave a quiet sigh, and rolled her eyes when the other girl wasn’t looking.

‘What time is it?’ Lily asked.

‘Nine thirty,’ Marley replied. ‘When are you meeting Sirius?’

‘In fifteen. We should head off soon.’

‘Fair enough,’ Kayla said. She tied off Lily’s plait, and spun her around to give her a once-over. ‘You look great, Lil. Even if it’s just Sirius, I reckon you’re going to have fun.’

Lily shook her head, looking faintly amused. ‘That’s if he isn’t trying to run off with Potter the whole time.’

Marley laughed. ‘Yeah, well, he’s Sirius. He isn’t going to change much. Just threaten to bash him if he looks like he’s gonna leg it.’

‘True,’ Lily said with a little nod. ‘And you have fun with Remus, Kayla.’

Kayla grinned. ‘We’ll probably raid Honeydukes again,’ she admitted. ‘That’s all we ever seem to do when we’re down there.’

‘And I,’ Marley said, ‘will wander. With Peter, probably, since the rest of them are “busy”.’

Lily giggled. ‘Have fun.’

Marley rolled her eyes. ‘Come on, you losers. Let’s go.’

The three of them went out the door with Marley in the lead. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she sat herself on the rail that ran along the wall, and slid down the spiral staircase with perfect balance. Judging by the thump Kayla and Lily heard several metres below, she had landed just fine. The other two followed her, minus the banister sliding.

Remus was waiting in the common room, sitting on the couch in front of the extinguished fire, his back to them. Marley did a spontaneous round-off, and Lily disappeared out the portrait hole, off to find Sirius. Kayla crept up behind Remus and tapped him on the shoulder. ‘Hey.’

He jumped violently in surprise and whirled around to look at her. ‘Kayla!’ There was a long pause as he took her in. She hadn’t really dressed up – she was just wearing a pale green dress with a flowery pattern, plus some white sandals.

She smiled. ‘Ready?’

‘Yeah,’ he replied faintly. ‘Merlin, you look pretty.’

‘What?’

He blanched as he realised what he had just said, and hastily tried to cover up. ‘I – I mean, well -’

Kayla grinned at him. ‘Come on. I want to go buy some chocolate.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

Lily met up with Sirius down in the Great Hall, who was waiting, surprisingly, on his own by the doors. A couple of girls passing by cast Lily resentful looks as she made her way over to him, but she ignored them. They could think whatever the hell they liked.

Sirius looked up at the sound of her approach.

‘Ready, Red?’ he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Lily nodded, and couldn’t refrain from asking something.

‘Is that an ACDC shirt?’

He grinned. ‘You got it.’

‘Why?’

‘I like to keep up with Muggle music. Well, the good stuff, anyway.’

She nodded. ‘Alright, then. Well, do you want to go?’

He gave an offhand sort of shrug. ‘Okay.’

As they made their way past Filch they said nothing, and Lily wondered what on earth they were going to do the whole time. Neither of them liked each other in _that_ way, and really, this whole trip was an accident. The only reason they were still going through with it was because it kept other people off their backs and for that matter, gave them something to do.                                                    

‘Where are your friends?’ Lily asked for a while, as the silence was starting to feel a little prolonged.

Sirius shrugged. ‘Beats me. Haven’t seen them since half an hour ago.’

‘They ditched you?’

‘Well, yeah.’ His hands were still in his pockets, but he pulled one out to scratch the back of his neck. ‘Oh well.’

They were just beginning to reach the edge of the village. Lily could still see people watching her with looks of slight incredulity, and a few were whispering to their friends behind their hands.

Sirius saw her watching them. ‘Ignore it,’ he said. ‘What can they do, huh?’ His brow furrowed, and he huffed. ‘I think I have the right to hang out with whoever the bloody hell I like, don’t you?’

Lily nodded mutely, and he continued, ‘Birds are so desperate. They never stop hovering over me. Really annoying, actually. All I ever want to do is steal peanut butter from the kitchens and blow up the dungeons with my best mates. I don’t want a girlfriend right now, so they can lay off. Is that too much to ask for?’

Lily was actually a little surprised by this revelation. The way he was talking, it sounded almost scripted, like he had thought about it a lot. ‘That’s . . . deep,’ she admitted. ‘But I think they’re all talking because Potter isn’t chasing after me for once. He’s come here with Claire; didn’t you know?’

‘I knew,’ Sirius said. ‘Didn’t like it, but I knew.’

‘Why?’

He shrugged a little. ‘She’s a psychopath.’

The conversation ended with that. People continued to mutter, but like Sirius told her to, she ignored them and instead looked around the village. She could see that shop interiors had been decorated for Valentine’s Day, and quite frankly it appeared that there had been a mass explosion of pink. Lily wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

Without really thinking about it, they both then went into The Three Broomsticks, where there was a lack of such gaudiness. Lily didn’t speak again until Sirius ordered some Butterbeers and paid for both, which then prompted her to protest. Sirius wouldn’t hear anything of it, since they were supposedly on a “date” and therefore, being the gentleman, he was supposed to fork over the cash. Lily had grudgingly let him pay after that, and they both sat down at a table in the far corner, away from the noise and quite alone. They both sipped their drinks in silence, occasionally sparing each other glances across the table before looking away again.

Then, completely out of the blue, Sirius asked, ‘Does Shortie like Remus?’

She looked up at him. ‘You mean Kayla?’

‘Yeah. Does she like him? As in, like-like?’

Lily grinned. ‘You sound like a nine year old, Sirius. Like-like? Seriously?’

He laughed over the rim of his mug. ‘You betcha. Seriously.’

And with that one stupid pun, the tension between the two of them vanished instantly.

‘Well, I don’t think so,’ Lily said airily. ‘Not in _that_ sense, if you know what I mean. But if you want to know what I think, I reckon they’ll be together someday.’

‘It was probably prophesised or something,’ Sirius said with a grin that became contagious. ‘They’re gonna grow up and have kids that’ll save the world. Imagine that. Mini-Remus, saviour of planet Earth.’

‘Or Mini-Kayla,’ Lily added.  After a pause, she said, ‘You know, to anyone that might be able to hear us, this would sound really creepy. We’re discussing the future, non-existent children of some of our best friends. They aren’t even _together_ yet.’

Sirius laughed. ‘Just you wait, Red. Just you wait. Shortie’s gonna come round in the end. And then . . .’ He trailed off and gave Lily a knowing nod. She laughed.

‘Yeah.’

Just then, the door of the pub opened, and a group of boys entered. Lily felt her stomach drop when she realised that Severus was among them, and was overcome by a sudden desire to hide. Immediately.

She was halfway under the table when Sirius stopped her, frowning in confusion. With meaningful head jerks in their general direction, she did her best to avoid eye contact. Sirius looked around, and a shadow passed over his face when he spotted the group.

‘Reg,’ he muttered. Lily finally looked up again, and realised that Regulus was indeed with them. She wondered for a fleeting moment what he was doing here - he was in second year, after all, before coming to the conclusion that the others had sneaked him in. Right at that very moment, however, Severus’ gaze swept in their general direction. He spotted Lily immediately, and his gaze flitted between her and Sirius, getting increasingly sourer as the seconds wore on. Lily had never wanted to dissolve into nothingness so much before. 

‘What’s up, Red?’ Sirius asked, still looking at his brother out of the corner of his eye.

‘Nothing,’ Lily muttered. ‘I . . . nothing.’

‘D’you wanna leave?’

‘Yes please.’

With a scraping of chairs against wood, the two of them got up. Lily cautiously walked a little closer to Sirius than usual while they crossed the room, and he seemed to have the same idea in mind. His hand hovered over the small of her back before she shook her head and gave him a look to reassure him that she would be fine.

Their plans to leave unnoticed, however, didn’t work all that successfully. One of the boys in the group – Avery, spotted them, and he called out. ‘Hey, Regulus. Your blood-traitor brother’s here! Wanna have a little family reunion?’ His malicious gaze then wandered over Lily, and he added, ‘And look, it’s his mudblood girlfriend, too! I’m sure your mother’d _love_ to meet _her_.’

‘Don’t react,’ Lily muttered. Despite her attempts at reassurance however, she could feel the tension rolling off Sirius in waves. If she weren’t here right now, she had a feeling he would already have lashed out.

She chanced a quick look up at Regulus. His face remained impassive, however she could see a little bit of fear in his eyes – like he was worried about how Sirius would react.

‘C’mon,’ Lily whispered. But as a precaution, she silently slipped Sirius’ wand out of his back pocket and slid it up her shirt sleeve.

The group tossed out a few more insults, some of which were directed at Lily, but most at Sirius, but they tried their best not to react. Lily was just pushing open the door however, when Sirius finally snapped. He reached for his wand just as she pulled him out the door, and it took him a good five seconds to realise that he couldn’t find it.

‘Where’s my wand?’ he growled. ‘I wanna hex the freaking _bejesus_ outta those -’

‘Sirius,’ Lily said insistently. ‘Can we just go? It’s better than turning a pub into a battleground.’

Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but something in Lily’s eyes evidently changed his mind.

‘Fine,’ he muttered. ‘James’d slaughter me anyway if I dragged you into that.’

Lily had an internal response to the comment about Potter but since Sirius was so riled up, she chose not to voice it. Instead, forcing a smile on her face and trying to push all thoughts of Severus from her mind, she nudged Sirius in the side. ‘Come on. Let’s go to Zonko’s. I know that’ll cheer you up.’

The corners of Sirius’ mouth quirked upwards into a slight smile, and he looked down at her out of the corner of his eye. ‘You. I like you, Red. Come on.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘These are nice. You ever tried these?’

Kayla eyed the packed in Remus’ hands before gingerly taking it and inspecting the ingredients. ‘ _Billywig stings?_ My God . . .’

Remus shrugged offhandedly. ‘They taste good though, don’t they?’

‘Well . . .’ Despite expressing her incredulity at the contents, Kayla busted open the packet of Fizzing Whizbies and popped one in her mouth. ‘Sherbet,’ she noted.

‘Yeah. And . . .’ He trailed off as Kayla seemed to rise a few inches in the air.

‘And what?’ Her voice was thick as she tried to speak over a mouthful of sugar.

‘And look.’

She looked down at her feet that were no longer touching the ground, but instead of panicking like he had initially expected, her eyebrows simply travelled a centimetre or two up her forehead. ‘Oh. Well, then.’

Remus laughed. ‘Is that _all_ you have to say?’

She nodded, and made a point of swallowing the sweet. With that, she dropped lightly back to the ground again.

‘That’s my moral for the magical side of things,’ she told him. ‘Expect the unexpected, because it’s going to happen anyway.’

He grinned, and took one for himself. ‘Good point.’ He put it in his mouth and Kayla turned away laughing; she started to rummage through their bags of shopping for something else to eat.

Despite the fact that the two of them looked a little odd, standing outside of Madam Puddifoot’s instead of going in, they weren’t really all that fussed on entering. That particular bench just happened to be sitting there, and they took the opportunity while they had it, dumping all of their purchases and resting for a bit.

There was a tapping on the glass behind them and Kayla jumped in surprise. The two of them looked around to see a distressed looking James sitting at the window. Presumably, Claire had left to order coffee.

‘ _Help me_ ,’ he mouthed. He then mimed some sort of strange action that Remus translated as, ‘ _I’m dying in here_.’

Remus crossed his arms and grinned. ‘ _It’s your own fault you asked her out_ ,’ he mouthed back, and James collapsed back into his chair, visibly groaning. After a moment, he sat back up again.

‘ _I’m regretting it.’_

_‘Obviously.’_

_‘Can I run away when she’s gone to the bathroom?’_

_‘No. Besides, she would catch you anyway.’_

_‘Please?’_

_‘No, James. Be nice.’_

_‘I_ am _being nice.’_

Remus shook his head incredulously, and Kayla laughed. ‘Let me take over,’ she said. Remus nodded and moved aside. Kayla then began mouthing things to James that he couldn’t quite see from his angle. However, judging by how things were looking, she knew what she was doing. Finally, James gave a dramatic groan again, but nodded. Just in time too, as Claire returned. Both Remus and Kayla ducked down from the window, and laughing uncontrollably, slipped away.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Well this is _fun_ ,’ Marley stated blandly. ‘What say you, Pete?’

‘Hmm?’ Peter looked up from the block of chocolate he was happily devouring. ‘Wha?’

She sighed heavily. ‘Never mind.’ She began swinging her feet back and forth, wriggling restlessly on the bench they were sitting on.

After a moment, she spoke again. ‘Why does the world have to revolve around dating?’

‘It does?’

She gave him a flat stare. ‘Have you been _listening_ today? “Sirius and Lily are going to Hogsmeade together,” “Did you hear? James and Claire are _dating,_ ” and so forth.’ She made a noise of irritation in the back of her throat. ‘Barely fourteen, and look where things are going.’

She looked back at Peter again to realise that her little speech had fallen on deaf ears. He was still eating his chocolate. With a groan of irritation, she herself went and grabbed a block out of her bag and began snapping pieces off. This was a pretty rubbish Hogsmeade trip, to be honest.

‘Ar weeh da’in’?’

She looked around, feeling her eyebrows travel a mile up her forehead. ‘What?’

Peter spent a minute chewing whatever was in his mouth before he swallowed. ‘Are _we_ dating?’

‘No.’

‘Okay.’

He went back to eating his chocolate, completely unbothered by that. Figuring that he had the right idea, Marley did the same.


	47. Year 3 - Cheese Muffins, Where Art Thou?

**_ 47 – Cheese Muffins, Where Art Thou? _ **

** Marlene **

‘Promise to never ditch me again. I can only eat so much chocolate before I throw up.’

James grinned at her, and leaned back in the plastic chair he was sitting on. ‘I dunno, this is kinda priceless.’

‘No. Just no.’

The smirk just spread further over his face. ‘Marlene McKinnon, this is the most freaking _hilarious_ thing that’s happened all day. Look what happens to you when you get lonely, eh? _Eh?_ ’

If her stomach weren’t turning so violently at that present moment, Marley would have punched him. In the face. Hard. She told him just that.

He was undeterred by that piece of information. In fact, he continued to poke jibes at her. Then, to top it all off, he began waving a block of chocolate in her face.

She sighed heavily and flopped back into the pillows. Hospital Wing beds were comfy enough, but they had that clean, clinical smell about them that she really hated.

And this really just sucked. The after-effects of Honeydukes chocolate lasted a lot longer than most other brands, thus leaving her looking like a victim of the flu or something.

‘You have to make this up to me,’ she said.

James looked around at her. ‘Huh?’

‘You owe me. Big time. First, you take _Claire_ , of all people, to Hogsmeade, and now you’re laughing at me ‘cause I overdosed on chocolate. You have to be nice now.’

He crossed his arms. ‘And what do you propose I do? Bring Sirius? Evans?’

‘No. Get me food.’

He made a funny noise and pointed to the full bowl of broth sitting on her bedside table. ‘Whaddya call that, eh?’

‘Shit.’

‘Fair enough, then.’

‘Now go get me food.’

‘ _Why?_ ’

‘ _Because I said so!_ Now move, man, _move!_ ’

The reaction was instantaneous. James had bolted halfway out the door before he stopped and turned. ‘What do I get?’

‘Fried -’ She cut off, and leant over the side of the bed to vomit into the bucket she was keeping with her. She emerged again, coughing and retching, before saying, ‘Never mind. Cheese muffins. I want cheese muffins.’

‘ _Cheese -?_ ’

‘ _MOVE IT!_ ’

James Potter ran like his life depended on it. As he very well should have.

* * *

 

** James **

Marlene bloody McKinnon. If there ever was a bigger cow, he was yet to meet her.

‘ _Cheese muffins_ ,’ he muttered incredulously, scuffing his feet against the floor as he walked along the corridor to the kitchens. ‘Why the _hell_ does she want _cheese muffins?_ ’

He looked up, and saw two familiar figures walking down the corridor just ahead. Bingo. ‘Oi! Edwards! Evans!’

The two girls stopped and turned. James hurried to catch up to them. Kayla watched him with a look of confusion, and Evans looked irritable.

‘What?’ they both asked in completely different tones – Kayla was easily the friendlier sounding one.

‘Cheese muffins,’ he responded immediately. ‘ _Why?_ ’

Evans blinked. ‘Huh?’

‘Cheese muffins,’ he repeated, giving her an insistent look.

‘What about cheese muffins?’ Kayla posed. James gave her a funny look. It was _perfectly_ obvious, wasn’t it?

He continued to be greeted with blank stares.

He sighed, and decided to give the topic a more thorough clarification. ‘Marley is demanding cheese muffins. _Why_ cheese muffins?’

‘Uh, because that’s what she wants?’ Kayla suggested uncertainly. ‘Why is it such a big deal?’

‘Because it’s bloody _strange_ , that’s what. Who eats _cheese muffins?_ ’

‘I do,’ Evans put in. ‘And apparently so does Marley. Now I suggest you go and get her those damned muffins before she tears out your throat.’

For once, James reckoned the redhead had never been more right in all the time he had known her.

XxX

‘Cheese muffins, where art thou?’ James muttered as entered the kitchen.

As usual, the place was bustling with elves, all squeaking to each other and running back and forth with food, quite like little footstools. The second they looked up and spotted James, a few of them immediately came scurrying over.

‘What would Master James like?’ one asked excitedly. ‘Blinky would be happy to fetch it!’

‘Yeah, Blinky,’ James said, now feeling considerably happier about his mission. Things were going to be a lot easier now that he had help. ‘I’m after cheese muffins. And a big platter would be great.’

Cue the blank stare.

‘Cheese muffins,’ Blinky repeated. ‘We have no cheese muffins, sir.’

‘No cheese muffins?’ James asked incredulously. ‘ _What?_ ’

Marley was going to pop her top.

‘No cheese muffins. But we can make some for Master James,’ Blinky assured him.

‘Yes, please do,’ James said gratefully. ‘Thanks. Thanks a lot.’

What was the worst that could happen?

Well, a lot more than James had bargained for. He had been happy enough to pull up a chair and watch amusedly as the elves hurried back and forth, grating cheese like absolute champions, mixing flour and eggs, and chopping up herbs at lightning speed. Really, these guys were underappreciated. But, of course, wherever there was James, there was going to be chaos at some point or another. And that chaos came in the form of one poltergeist.

Peeves.

Really, it all started with just one upturned table. Peeves came swooping in, cackling madly, knocked over said table, but then saw James. Immediately things took a new course.

‘It’s Potty!’ he announced, cackling madly. James immediately took a few precautionary steps backward.

‘Look, Peevesy mate, I just need to do something. Do you mind if . . . ?’

Normally James would be really keen to join in on whatever mayhem Peeves had planned, but Marley was waiting. And no one _ever_ wanted to keep Marley waiting. So he figured it would be smart to get out of there as soon as possible.

Despite the presence of the poltergeist, the elves had just finished the cheese muffins. Before James knew it, an overladen platter had been shoved into his arms.

‘See?’ he said. ‘Gotta go.’

‘And why should you?’ Peeves asked mockingly. ‘I’m just starting to have fun. Wheeeeeee!’ He swooped down along one of the long benches, sending cooking utensils flying. The elves, some of which had only just begun in their quest to sort out the table, fled. Squealing ensued, and James didn’t blame them. Peeves then began to throw huge vats of boiling oil against the wall, and James hissed as some of it splattered onto his leg. Doubled over to protect the muffins, he legged it across the room to the door –

Until another table was sent flying, effectively jamming it shut.

He swore viciously and looked around. Peeves had now busted all of the pipes leading to the sinks, and water was streaming over the floor at a rapid pace. James could feel his trainers getting soaked and grimaced as the cold water began lapping against his newly acquired burn.

_Bang!_

With the sound of several firecrackers, platter after platter of food then began exploding, sending out clouds of flour, cheese, pumpkin and . . . _was that black pudding?_

He didn’t stop to contemplate it. Peeves was now juggling burning torches from the brackets on the wall over his head. James made a noise quite close to an elephant having a panic attack, and ducked just as one flew by his right ear and landed on the floor. The flame was doused immediately by the water, but James could still smell something smoky nearby. As he slipped carefully under a table, he reached up and absently patted his hair, which had begun to smoulder and was evidently the source of said smell.

He looked over at the door. He was going to have to leg it, and try to shift the table as fast as he could. Or he could set it on fire . . . no, what was the point in that? Well, he could look around for some means of blowing it up . . .

Hang on a second.

He was a _wizard_ , for Merlin’s sake!

Now wanting to kick himself, James pulled his wand out of his pocket. ‘Wingardium Leviosa.’

He pointed at the table and felt a rush of pride as it levitated – actually _freaking LEVITATED_ – a few inches above the water and moved to the right.

‘Merlin!’ he cried, grinning. ‘I’m so effing amazing!’

With that, James finally made it out of the kitchens, singed, smoking, and carrying a large platter of remarkably untouched cheese muffins.

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘Moony, say that you love me.’

Remus didn’t even bother looking up from his copy of the _Daily Prophet_. ‘Sure, Sirius.’

‘Do you know what I’ve got?’

‘A brain?’

There was a long pause, and he heard Sirius let out a large exhale. ‘No, not that. Anyway, I can’t _show_ you, because James has it at the present moment, but you can still guess.’

‘Those mirrors you’ve been talking about enchanting for a while?’

There was another pause. Then, ‘No, but we think we’re nearly there.’

‘You said that last week.’

‘Well, nearer than last week. Nearly, _nearly_ there, methinks.’

‘Huh.’

‘Now, guess again. Whaddya reckon I’ve got?’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Remus sighed, skimming over another murder report (the third that day) before folding the paper up. ‘Please do enlighten me.’

‘We-e-ell,’ Sirius said, grinning. ‘Prongsie and I have been working on something. Something we think you need, because you’re useless otherwise.’

Remus conveyed his incredulity and offence through a single raised eyebrow, but Sirius didn’t backtrack.

‘I mean, you’re super thick. And we also recruited someone to help us, because we reckon she’s that _teeniest_ bit more knowledgeable than us, but all the same, the idea is genius.’

‘Is that why you two were holed up with Marley and a load of cheese muffins in the hospital wing all day?’ Remus asked, quickly cottoning on.

‘Er, yeah,’ Sirius said. ‘Actually a great way to spend one’s Sunday.’

‘Fair enough,’ Remus said. ‘And what were you doing?’

‘Making -’ Sirius suddenly cut off in realisation and gave Remus a stern look. ‘ _Nooo_ , you’re not getting it out of me, wolf boy.’

‘Sirius!’ Remus hissed, looking quickly around the crowded common room to make sure no one had heard. ‘We’re in _public!_ ’

‘Relax!’ Sirius said in a sing-song voice. ‘Don’t worry about the FURRY LITTLE PROBLEM.’ He raised his voice as a group of fourth years walked past, and they all gave him funny looks. Sirius grinned as widely and unnaturally as possible, progressing to freak them out even more. As they walked away, Remus caught some mutters of ‘rabbit issues’ and ‘Black’s got problems’ before they disappeared.

‘Thanks,’ he said dryly. ‘Now people think you’re mental.’

‘Wanna reinforce that?’

Before Remus could register what happened, Sirius jumped up onto the arm of the chair he was sitting in and began doing a sort of jig, shrieking out random words that Remus decided to classify as ‘crude Gobbledygook’ and leave it at that. He leaned away a little, wide eyed and slightly horrified as Sirius’ voice started to rise an octave with each word.

‘Oh Merlin,’ he muttered, flushing red to the roots of his hair. People from all over the common room were now turning around, looking confused, irritated, and amused. A small cluster of first years started applauding and shouting gibberish back at Sirius, who responded enthusiastically, now starting up a full-on shrieking conversation.

‘ _GOBBLYBLAH!’_

_‘MANAHMANAH!’_

_‘GOBBLYBLAH!’_

_‘MANAHMANAH!’_

Remus sighed and buried his face in his hands just as James came through the portrait hole. It took him a moment to register what was going on, and then he just looked stunned. He slowly shuffled over to Remus.

‘Moony,’ he said in a low voice, his owlish eyes now the most prominent feature on his face. ‘I think Padfoot’s gone barmy.’

‘You _think?_ ’

‘Erm, okay.’ He shoved Remus over in the armchair and squeezed himself in, leaning over a little so not to be trodden on by Sirius, who was still, might he add, jigging.

‘You close enough there?’ Remus asked sarcastically.

‘Yep.’

Remus sighed heavily. ‘So, Sirius said you two were making something. With Marley.’

‘Oh!’ A broad grin stretched over James’ face. ‘Yeah!’ He slipped his rucksack off his back (with great difficulty) and deposited it on the floor before searching through it. After a long moment, he extracted a book that looked like a lot like a leather-bound notepad. James shoved it at Remus, still beaming.

Remus scanned over the cover and blanched.

_Dating 101 – An Idiot’s Guide to Girls, co-authored by James Potter & Sirius Black_

‘What is this?’ he asked slowly. ‘How . . . _why_. . .?’

‘We thought you might need help,’ James said, now looking like a three year old who had attempted to clean out a bin and gotten covered in potato peelings.

‘And how are you knowledgeable in these areas?’ Remus asked pointedly.

‘There’s a bibliography.’

Remus opened up the last page, where there were the words:

_BIBLIOGRAPHY_

_All information has been provided by Marlene G. McKinnon._

‘Ha!’ Remus let out a bark of laughter. ‘ _HA!_ And Sirius called _me_ thick! Ha! You needed help!’

‘You think this is weird,’ James said, now feigning a look of hurt. ‘You’re . . .’ He gave a dramatic sniffle. ‘You’re hurting my feelings, Remmy.’

‘ _This_ is weird?’ Remus posed. ‘Erm, taken in your surroundings lately, James?’

_‘HUGGA WUGGA!’_

‘Well,’ James said thoughtfully, looking up, and jerking his hand away before Sirius stepped on it ( _still jigging_ ). ‘Could be weirder.’

_‘HEEGY HOOGY!’_

‘You sure?’ Remus said.

There was a long pause. James chewed his lip, and snorted loudly when Sirius rose to a soprano pitch.

‘Well . . .’

‘ _YOU ARE MY SUUUUUUNSHINE, MY ONLY SUUUUUUNSHINE . . .’_

‘No,’ they both said at once.

James shook his head. ‘Can’t get weirder than this.’


	48. Year 3 - Giddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the wait. My Ao3 hasn't been working, seeing that my computer chucked a fit and won't let me into any sites half the time, so it's been difficult to update. But I'll binge post while I'm here.

**_ 48 – Giddy _ **

** Sirius **

‘Okay, some of these are really odd,’ Remus said, flipping through the book the next morning at the Gryffindor table. ‘But they must be ingenious, because Marley knows her stuff.’

‘Well,’ James said, shrugging, ‘she’s a girl.’

‘Really?’ Sirius posed with extreme scepticism. ‘Because I still can’t believe that after all these years. I still have that theory she’s actually a guy.’

James looked at him with a slightly put-out expression on his face. ‘Padfoot, no. She is completely one hundred percent female. Physically, anyway. But mentally she’s a guy, if that makes you feel better.’

Sirius clicked his fingers and pointed at him. ‘See!’

‘Oh, aren’t you two _charmers_ ,’ Remus said dryly. ‘It’s a wonder she doesn’t get annoyed at you all the time.’

‘Pah, she loves us,’ Sirius said absently. ‘You could learn a thing or two.’

‘No. Just no.’

‘Well _I_ reckon so. What say you, Pete?’

Peter looked up from his plate of food. ‘Hmm?’

‘You got an opinion?’ Sirius asked, leaning over a plucking a grape from right beneath his nose. Peter shrugged, though his expression appeared rather odd. His cheeks were bulging a fair bit, as though stuffed with something.

‘What are you doing?’ James asked suspiciously, also noticing. Peter shrugged a little, attempting to appear innocent.

‘Nufing . . .’ He immediately proceeded to start choking.

‘Woah, man!’ James and Sirius started thumping him on the back, trying in vain to make him hack up whatever was lodged in his throat.

‘Kableh! Ehg – ack -’

Then, all at once, at least fifteen grapes flew out of his mouth, ricocheting off the table and bouncing everywhere. A couple disappeared into an unsuspecting Frank’s porridge while his back was turned.

‘Merlin, Pete,’ Sirius said in awe. ‘You fit all those in there?’

Peter shrugged a little, wiping his mouth and looking completely unperturbed by the fact he had just let loose a mess of mushed up, saliva covered grapes all over the breakfast table. ‘I can usually fit thirty.’

‘ _Thirty?’_

 _‘_ On a good day.’

‘Wicked,’ James breathed, starting to grin. ‘My turn!’

‘Oh no,’ Remus groaned, letting his forehead drop between the pages of the book. ‘Please, no.’

James ignored him. Maybe because Sirius had just taken up the idea enthusiastically, and was now stuffing grape after grape wherever he could fit it – into his cheeks, in front and behind his teeth, under his tongue – and could no longer say anything. Probably.

‘Uggg . . . mah . . .’

‘That’s an attractive look,’ Sirius said with a broad grin. James, whose mouth was wide open and brimming with grapes, made a funny bulging motion with his eyes and punched Sirius in the arm.

‘Oi! You asked for it!’

‘Fuh ooh.’

‘Did I interpret that right?’ Sirius inquired mockingly with a raised eyebrow. ‘Did you _really_ just say -’

‘She’s _NUTS!’_ Remus burst out suddenly, scaring the daylights out of the others. James spat out his grapes, and thus Frank was assaulted by a second barrage, Sirius screeched and fell backwards off the bench, and Peter dropped a pitcher of pumpkin juice in his lap, slopping it everywhere and henceforth causing everyone to question the undefinable stain on his trousers for the remainder of the day.

‘Who? What? How?’ Sirius asked, hauling himself back up again. ‘ _Why_ must you scream so loudly, Moony?’

Remus sighed and buried his forehead in the book again. ‘Your cousin’s a nutter, James.’

‘Thanks, rabbit boy,’ came a new voice from just behind them. Marley was standing there, arms crossed. She raised a lofty eyebrow. ‘Love you, too.’

‘Much appreciated,’ Remus mumbled half-heartedly.

Marley’s eyes took in the scene before her. She looked over the grapes, the large welt that had started to form on Sirius’ forehead from his tumble, the juice Peter had spilt on himself (but she clearly didn’t know what it was), at poor Frank, who was trying to work out how grapes had ended up down his shirt, at the mushy residue around James’ mouth which he hadn’t bothered to clean up, and finally, the book.

‘Ha!’ she cried suddenly, surging forward and seizing it from Remus. The boy’s head wasn’t expecting its resting place to disappear so soon, and it hit the solid wood of the table with a loud _thunk_. ‘So my extensive knowledge has finally made its way to the path of the high and mighty!’ She spared a quick glance at Remus. ‘Sorry mate. It’s not often that you smartarses stop to listen to us lesser folk.’ She grinned. ‘Gotta take my moment while it’s here.’

‘Sure, sure,’ Remus muttered, rubbing his head gingerly. ‘You do that, Marley.’

‘Oh, I will. What’re you lot up to?’

The Marauders cast a glance between themselves.

‘Nothin’,’ Sirius said finally. ‘Not at all. Erm. We were just . . . talking.’

‘What about?’ Marley inquired suspiciously.

‘Evans,’ James put in immediately. He suddenly looked eager. ‘Has she mentioned me lately?’

‘James, you know she never does.’

‘Urf,’ James said irritably, now getting to his feet. ‘Right then. I’m off. I’ve had ideas lately, you know. Maybe I can get her to like me.’ He grinned at the apparent thought of that, and with one last salute at the rest of them, skipped off.

‘He’s going to stalk her again, isn’t he,’ Marley said blandly.

‘Is there any other way to do it?’ Sirius responded with a grin.

She silently pointed at the book.

* * *

 

** James **

‘But can you help me? Pleeeeease?’

The Ravenclaw fifth year sighed and set down the book she was flipping through. Even though James had already forgotten her name, he was still trying to wheedle a proper response out of her – which he had been doing for the last five minutes.

‘But a _Giddiness Draught_ ,’ she said flatly. ‘Why in Merlin’s bleeding name do you want a _Giddiness Draught?’_

‘Like I said, educational purposes,’ James responded stoutly. He gave her his best puppy eyes. ‘Please?’

‘How many times do you reckon you’ve said that word all up?’

‘Thirty seven. But who’s counting?’

She looked at him, and after a long moment, sighed again. ‘Fine. You’re lucky that you’re pretty, kid.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

Lily really had been through the mill today. It had been a long day, full of failures, explosions, things going to absolute hell, and . . . oh yeah, she and Severus had squabbled again. Things could have been better.

She made her way drowsily up to the dormitory after dinner, and tossed her bag onto her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

‘Bugger this,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Bugger it all.’

‘Bugger what?’ came a cheeky voice from the window. Lily screeched and whirled around to see Potter with his head poking in to the room, balancing precariously on his broom just outside the window. He grinned at her, cocking his head to the side. ‘Alright there, Evans?’

‘Get out, Potter!’ she shrieked. ‘Pervert!’

‘What?’ he asked innocently, not moving an inch. ‘Nothing to see, is there?’

She groaned. ‘What are you doing?’

‘What does it look like? I’m hanging outside your window.’ The broad smirk was still plastered across his face, like he knew something she didn’t.

‘No,’ she said irritably, giving him her best glare, ‘ _why_ are you hanging outside my window?’

‘Couldn’t tell you that,’ he responded impertinently. ‘That’d spoil the surprise. We wouldn’t want that, would we?’ He wiggled his eyebrows.

‘Go _away!_ Or I’ll hex you!’

‘Tut tut, we’re violent today, aren’t we?’

‘ _Potter . . .’_

‘Okay, okay!’ He leaned away a tiny bit, but otherwise remained in the same place. ‘Feisty.’

‘Go away! Or I’ll shove you!’ To reinforce her point, she strode over to him.

He didn’t move.

‘I mean it!’

‘Do you, Evans? Would you really shove a poor, defenceless boy like me from a window?’

‘Want to test that?’

He gave her a sulky look. ‘You wound me.’

‘It’s a pleasure to.’

‘I have a question.’

The complete three sixty the conversation took there and then caught Lily by surprise. ‘What?’

‘I have a question,’ he repeated. ‘Will you let me ask it?’

She chewed her lip, eyeing him suspiciously. ‘What is it?’

‘Would you snog me again?’

 _‘What?_ ’

But he looked completely serious, front half balanced on the sill, the other half who-knows-where. ‘Would you?’

‘No!’

He grinned. ‘Maybe if you did, you’d change your mind.’

‘I _know_ I wouldn’t.’

‘Speak for yourself,’ he said loftily.

Lily felt her glare intensify. To make her point, she put her hands on the windowsill, either side of where his folded arms were resting. Then she leaned in really close, so that their noses were mere centimetres apart. ‘Never. In Your. Wildest. Dreams.’ She uttered each word so quietly that she could barely hear herself, and it gave her a twinge of satisfaction to see him concentrating intently on what she had to say. ‘Got it?’

Potter smirked. ‘Sure thing. But . . .’

‘But what?’

‘You do realise you’re in perfect snogging distance, right?’

Lily leapt back so quickly that she might have been electrocuted. She shot him a furious look as he burst into raucous laughter, nearly doubling over in hilarity.

‘Very funny, Potter,’ she hissed, cautiously stepping towards him again whilst also listening to the voices that were coming up the stairs. ‘But you won’t try something like that. I know you won’t.’

‘Oh? And why’s that?’

She gave him a sharp shove, causing him to shout out and hang onto the sill for dear life. ‘Because your girlfriend is coming.’

‘Who?’

‘Claire.’

‘Oh.’ He paused, then grinned. ‘Better take you with me, then.’

‘ _What?_ ’

Potter grabbed her by the wrist and reversed his broom quickly. Lily shrieked and gripped onto the frame, before wrestling her hand out of his and slamming the window shut. He leered at her from the other side of the glass, pulling ridiculous faces and flying around in loops. She gave him the finger in response. He burst into laughter and zoomed away.

Right at that moment, the door swung open to reveal Claire and Imogen.

‘God, you can scream,’ Claire said irritably, frowning at her. ‘What was going on up here? Did you look in the mirror or something?’

For the first time ever, despite her rudeness, the blonde had convenient timing.

* * *

 

With nothing else to do, Lily drank the entire pitcher on her bedside table and went back downstairs to the common room again. Both Kayla and Marley were down there, lounging in the armchairs before the fire and watching a wrestling match between Potter (who had evidently gone down there after leaving Lily alone) and Sirius with great amusement. Remus and Peter were off to the side, the former appearing exasperated as he pored over a book, and the latter pumping his fist and shouting ‘Fight, fight, fight!’

‘What in Merlin’s name?’ Lily said faintly. She had honestly thought that after the show Sirius had been putting on last night, the strangeness was over for now. Apparently not.

Marley looked up. ‘Lil!’ She patted the small amount of space next to her in the armchair expectantly. Lily navigated her way through a group of second years, and slotted herself in, not really caring that she was half sitting on her friend.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked confusedly, wincing as a wave of light-headedness washed over her.

‘It’s a battle of “Who’s The Manliest”.’

‘Ah.’

Then, completely spontaneously, Lily started giggling. Marley quirked an eyebrow and focused her attention on her, sporting an expression of slight concern. But Lily didn’t stop giggling. In fact, she progressed into full-blown laughing.

‘Lily?’ Kayla said uncertainly, looking over from the other chair. ‘You okay?’

‘C-completely chipper, m’dear,’ Lily choked out. ‘Just fab.’

‘Okay, what happened?’ Marley asked outright, now grinning herself. ‘Is there something on my face?’

‘No,’ Lily said. ‘I’m just very happyyyyyyyy . . .’

‘Uh oh.’ A crease appeared between Kayla’s eyebrows, but because she was so delirious, Lily couldn’t fathom what for. The brown-head got to her feet, before coming to stand in front of her. ‘Up, Lil.’

Still giggling madly, Lily stood up. Kayla put her hands on her shoulders, steadying her, before saying, ‘Breathe. In . . . out . . .’

Lily tried and failed to comply, nearly doubling over in laughter. A few people had turned to stare, before shrugging it off and looking away.

‘Whassup with you, Red?’ Sirius asked, getting to his feet and dusting himself off.

‘Nuthin,’ she responded stoutly, grinning broadly at him. ‘You’re pretty, Sirius. Did’ja know that. Very pretty.’

Sirius preened quite a bit at the praise, but Kayla started shaking her violently. ‘Lily, what’s wrong? Did someone drug you?’

‘I dunno,’ Lily answered innocently.

Kayla continued to frown. ‘They did. I’ll bet my cat they did.’

‘Don’t go doin’ that, now.’

‘Wow,’ Potter said, coming to stand beside Sirius, eyebrows raised. ‘You’ve gone nuts, Evans.’

‘And I wonder why that is,’ she responded lazily, hiccupping. ‘I mean, you should know. Y-you’re nuts all the _bloody_ time.’ She wriggled out of Kayla’s grip, before waltzing forward, gripping him firmly on the shoulders and shaking him back and forth. ‘All the bloody time!’ Her expression loosened, slipping back into a grin again.

Potter immediately started to look panicked. ‘Why are you grinning at me? How much of an effect is that potion having on you, Evans? _Evans?_ ’

‘You’re pretty, too,’ she said lightly. ‘But I really don’t like you. Doesn’t mean you’re not pretty, though. ‘Cause you’re very pretty.’

‘Okay, she’s nuts,’ Potter said.

‘Wait, did you say potion?’ Kayla asked incredulously, cutting in.

‘Um . . . no?’

‘What. Did. You. Do?’

Potter seemed to quail under Kayla’s unwavering gaze. His eyes flickered uncertainly between her and Lily, who felt the sudden urge to spontaneously start hugging him like a great big teddy bear.

‘I . . .’

‘If you don’t tell her she’s gonna kill you!’ Lily said in a sing-song voice.

‘Well – oomph!’

Right at that moment, Lily slammed into his chest, giggling insanely and hugging him ridiculously tight. ‘Tell her!’ she insisted, sounding just like a three-year old.

‘Argh! Okay! Giddiness Draught! Giddiness Draught in the jug upstairs! Now get off me! You’re scaring me!’

Kayla intervened to detach Lily from Potter’s torso, muttering something under her breath.

‘Honestly, I thought it would just make her be nicer,’ he insisted. ‘Really didn’t think she’d go loopy!’

‘I wouldn’t imagine that you think at all,’ Kayla responded, working at her friend’s iron grip. Lily eventually let go of him, and Kayla steered her away from the scene, pausing momentarily to smack Potter really hard on the arm.

‘Come on, time to sleep it off,’ she said, leading her up the girls’ staircase. ‘You’re going to regret this in the morning.’

‘I know,’ Lily said lightly. ‘But how mad is that? I just hugged James Potter!’


	49. Year 3 - Tying Things Up

**_ 49 –Tying Things Up _ **

** Kayla **

The embarrassment Lily suffered lasted the rest of the term. Mainly because James never hesitated to bring it up whenever he could, but also because she couldn’t believe her way of speaking and mannerisms had become so lax. She seemed to get over it little by little each day however, and before the week was over she was happily hexing James in the face whenever he asked her out.

The end of term was quickly approaching. Christina Johnson, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, had run her players in to the ground in preparation for the final match against Slytherin, and all for good cause in the end. The scarlet-clad players steamrollered the other team, winning two hundred and ten points to forty. James and Sirius had expressed their euphoria through a self-choreographed dance routine which they performed up on a table in the common room during the celebrations later that night. Kayla knew that was something she never wanted to see again, however knowing her luck, it wasn’t just some freak occurrence. It was probably going to become a tradition.

Exams passed smoothly. In the lead up to the Muggle Studies one, Kayla had actually convinced Sirius to study with her, mainly because she didn’t want him sneaking looks at her paper during the exam, but also because she really wanted him to pass. They had spent long nights poring over textbooks in their own corner of the common room, Kayla slowly explaining things with Sirius hanging onto her every word, pausing every half hour to devour a packet of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans. In the end, the sugar high she had to put up with was worth it, as he got ninety four percent.

Now, as the last few days were ambling by, most of the Hogwarts population was scrambling to collect possessions, tidy up what belonged to them, and, in the Marauder’s case, find Peter’s long lost History textbook, which had disappeared in the first week of second year. Kayla had already heard several stories regarding the search from Remus, and it was went on up in that dormitory was amusing to say in the least. She wondered what else might happen before they left.

That question was answered two days before the leaving feast.

‘I fancy Marley.’

Kayla looked up from the parchment she was sorting through, wide eyed. ‘ _What?_ ’

Peter nodded matter-of-factly. ‘D’you think I should tell anyone?’

‘You just told me,’ Kayla said.

‘Yeah, but I mean my mates.’

She leaned back a little in the armchair she was lounging in, before scrunching some Potions notes into a ball and lobbing it into the extinct hearth. ‘Erm . . . I don’t know, Pete.’

The two of them were well enough alone in the common room, as most people were outside enjoying the warm weather, but Kayla cast a look around regardless.

‘But whaddya reckon?’

‘Well, maybe you could . . .’

* * *

 

Had there ever been a time in her life where Kayla _hadn’t_ made the stupid choice?

She didn’t think so, either.

‘You WHAT?’ James shrieked, flapping his arms. ‘ _WHAT?_ ’

He grabbed Marley, who was conveniently standing by and watching the unfolding of events, drawing her in close and wrapping his arms protectively around her. ‘No one comes near my Marley with a ten foot pole!’

Sirius, who was also standing just off to the side, cleared his throat.

‘Except maybe Sirius,’ James rectified.

Marley blinked owlishly.

‘So, no!’ the former continued firmly. ‘You shall not have her!’

Peter hid behind Kayla, a remarkable feat on his part. ‘Yessir!’

‘Do I get a say in this?’ Marley asked slowly.

‘No.’

‘Fine, then.’

James looked at Peter over the top of Marley’s head. ‘Don’t even look at her. Or I’ll bash your head in.’

That scared Peter off pretty fast.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Bugger this,’ Marley said, lacing her arms around Sirius’ shoulders from behind. Kayla, who was sitting on the ground just by where he was standing, looked up.

‘Where’s Lily?’

‘With Snape.’ With an _oomph_ , she jumped and hauled herself up onto his back. Sirius reacted instinctively and grabbed her legs, keeping her up.

‘And _why’s_ she with Snivellus?’ Sirius asked pointedly, craning his neck so he could look at her.

‘Because they’re _friends_ ,’ Marley said sarcastically. ‘Quote unquote.’

‘Friends, my arse,’ Sirius responded, jumping up and down a bit so he could get a better grip on her.

‘I swear he was stalking Remus the other day,’ Marley said, looking at Kayla. ‘I dunno why, but the git seems to think that Remus is some incarnation of the devil himself.’

‘That’s rubbish,’ Kayla replied, frowning. ‘And Snape’s just . . . weird.’

‘Understatement of the century,’ Marley shot back. ‘Who follows people around that persistently? I mean, _come on_.’ She rested her chin on Sirius’ head. ‘It bugs me.’

‘Well, if he doesn’t leave Remus alone . . .’ Kayla trailed off, leaving Marley to imagine a wide variety of scenarios, all to do with vicious, bloody murder.

‘Well, I’ve been tempted to set Remus loose on him a couple of times,’ Sirius said thoughtfully. Kayla looked at him, wide eyed.

‘No!’ she cried. ‘Don’t even think -’ She looked at Marley and cut off suddenly, leaving the latter feeling awfully confused.

What was that about? And what did Sirius mean by “setting Remus loose on him”?

Before she could inquire however, Kayla changed the subject.

‘So, Peter, eh?’

‘Don’t even start,’ Marley said in a monotone. ‘I have never had James act so protective in my entire bloody life.’

She gave a tittering laugh that seemed rather forced, like her mind was still on other things.

‘I don’t blame him,’ Sirius said. ‘I’d do the same if you were my cousin.’

‘But I’m not, am I?’ Marley responded.

‘Close enough.’

‘Ha. No.’

‘What’s so bad about being related to me? Oh, wait, never mind .’

‘Hm.’ Marley tightened her grip around Sirius’ neck. ‘Can I have a piggy back ride?’

‘Nah,’ he replied. ‘In fact -’ He started shuffling. ‘- I reckon I’ll just turf you off. How does that sound?’

‘No!’

‘Kidding, kidding.’

Kayla finally chose to depart with the fluffy, red and gold rug before the fireplace, and got to her feet, stretching and looking out of the common room window at the dark night sky.

‘Right,’ she said. ‘Well, since this is just so tempting . . .’ She shifted her whole body sideways and rammed straight into Sirius, sending both he and Marley tumbling into an armchair.

‘Argh!’

Kayla looked down at them with a feline grin. Marley glared back at her, in a state of extreme discomfort. Sirius’ head was presently wedged between her arm and torso, and their legs were tangled together. She was also fairly certain that she was sitting on her ankle, but it was going numb, and she couldn’t tell.

Sirius spat out a long, curly lock of her hair. ‘Pah!’

‘Charming,’ Marley responded dryly.

Sirius twisted his head a little in an attempt to look up at her, but failed. ‘Well, I’ll have you know, that was half down my throat.’

‘I can tell. The saliva’s a big giveaway, you see.’

The entire time this conversation was going on, Kayla was standing off to the side and giggling madly. ‘You two are priceless,’ she cackled. ‘Just priceless.’

‘You think this is entertainment?’ Marley said. ‘You should have been there the time he shoved his foot in my mouth!’

Kayla pulled a face, still laughing. ‘No thanks.’

‘I think my toe’s still scarred from when you bit it,’ Sirius said mournfully.

‘It was well deserved,’ Marley retorted.

There was the sound of a crash, then a scream upstairs. Then there was the echo of a slamming door, followed by the familiar wailing of the girls’ staircase. This all proceeded James sliding down into the common room on his bum, looking quite like a stunned squirrel.

‘What’s the bet he tried to get into our dorm again?’ Marley asked.

‘Five quid,’ Kayla replied.

Marley frowned, and looked confused at the currency term, but nodded along regardless. ‘I don’t think he knows where Lily is.’

‘I think Imogen was up there, though. Having a shower.’

They shared a glance, both wearing similar expressions of incredulity, and burst into laughter. Sirius, who was still attempting to extract his arm from where it had gotten wedged in the couch seat, missed that section of the conversation and looked up confusedly. ‘Huh?’

‘Never mind,’ Kayla said, shaking her head. ‘So, he’s still smitten, it seems.’

‘Well and truly,’ Marley said. ‘I’ve tried to do something about it, but . . .’

‘He isn’t responding,’ Kayla finished. ‘He’s hopeless.’

‘Yeah.’ Marley paused for a moment, as a thought crossed her mind. ‘We should start a club. A “We Don’t Fancy Anyone or Have Life Issues, So Ha!” club.’

Kayla laughed in agreement. ‘Ha, true. What do you think, Sirius?’

Sirius grinned, having finally managed to detangle himself from the mess he was in. He turfed Marley off him, before adjusting himself comfortably in the armchair and nodding. ‘I wanna make the badges. I can charm them to be sparkly and flash different colours.’

‘Fair enough,’ Marley said stiffly, getting to her feet and internally cursing Sirius in every language that she knew (this being English and Marley-Speak. And perhaps Gobbledygook, but she would have to get clarification as to if that term was actually correct). She squeezed herself back into the armchair, beside Sirius. ‘But we are never letting James in this club. Because that idiot’s gonna be in love with Lily ‘til the end of his days.’

Kayla rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

** Lily **

Once again, the year was over. Once again, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was leaving, this time having suffered extreme stress and hair loss due to the Marauders. Once again, Ravenclaw won the house cup. Once again, this was because of the Marauders. Once again, Potter and Sirius got up on the table and started yelling across the hall.

‘James, get down.’ Kayla tugged at the ankle of Potter’s trousers. ‘You’re making a scene.’

‘I know,’ Potter shot back, sparing her a quick glance. He looked back to the Ravenclaw table, and he and Sirius started shouting in unison, ‘WE WILL TAKE YOU DOWN, BLOODY BIRD PEOPLE!’

‘Get off the table, Potter!’ Lily said, punching him in the ankle.

‘Now’s not the time, Evans,’ he replied. ‘WE WILL TAKE YOU – ARGH!’

Lily shoved his foot into the mashed potato, and he slipped sideways, landing in the roast chicken. He took Sirius down with him in the process, and the other boy sent miniature Yorkshire puddings flying.

‘Accept thy defeat and _shut the hell up_ ,’ Lily hissed, triggering a laughing fit from Marley, who had started smearing pumpkin in Sirius’ face.

But Potter apparently wasn’t listening. Instead, he leapt to his feet, and shouted two words that made Lily’s blood run cold. ‘ _Food fight!’_

* * *

 

Finally, it was time to go. As usual, Lily was sad to leave the castle, but also excited by the prospect of seeing her family again (minus Petunia).

Already, she and Kayla had made plans to spend a few weeks of the summer at Marley’s, and Lily was excited for that, even if it meant that she might run into Potter a little more than she would like.

Lily had intended to sit with Severus on the train, but he had been carted off with his friends. Because of this, Lily grudgingly let herself be dragged to the compartment with the Marauders in it, at Marley’s insistence. Kayla didn’t have any part in this conversation, as she was a few metres ahead in the corridor, trying to manage a spitting Chance as he tried to escape his cage.

‘But let me punch Potter if he’s being a git, okay?’ Lily said grudgingly.

‘Sure, sure,’ Marley replied, still not releasing her iron grip on the redhead’s wrist as she peered into each compartment they passed.

‘Erm, can you let me go now?’

‘No.’

‘Okay.’

Marley suddenly pushed open one of the doors, and burst in, shouting, ‘Jamesey!’

There was a response of, ‘Marlsey!’ from inside, and Lily ushered Kayla through the door, before following in suit and closing it behind her.

‘Hey, it’s Evans!’ Potter said, grinning.

‘Hey, it’s Potter!’ Lily responded, with an air of heavy sarcasm.

‘Hey, it’s a cat!’ Kayla announced, unbuckling Chance’s carrier.

Sirius screamed.

And that was the trip in a nutshell. Potter and Lily squabbled, Sirius shrieked whenever the cat came within a metre’s distance of him, Peter and Remus played Exploding Snap in the corner, and Marley and Kayla looked on, providing live commentary of all that went on inside that compartment.

It was chaos.

And to be honest, Lily loved every minute of it.

It all ended too soon. Everyone got off the train, exchanging promises to write, to adopt each other for extended periods of time over the break, and to send each other supplies of sweets and cakes. When Lily finally found her family, she took off towards them at a run, flinging herself into her parents’ arms. It was this feeling; the feeling of family, that she missed so much.

Just over her mother’s shoulder, she saw Severus watching her. She broke away and waved at him, grinning. He grinned back.

‘ _Goodbye_ ,’ she mouthed. He just waved, triggering a smile from her.

With that, Lily turned, grabbing her trunk and her father’s hand, making her way back into the Muggle world.


	50. Year 4 - His Sister; No One Else's

**_ 50 – His Sister; No One Else’s _ **

** Kayla **

‘Do it.’

Her mother gave her an evaluating look. ‘Are you sure? Because we can still wait. It doesn’t have to happen now, just because you’re here. The Christmas holidays, perhaps?’

‘Mum, we can’t keep this from him forever,’ Kayla protested. ‘What if he proposes before the holidays? I think he ought to know what he’s getting himself into before he does something like that.’

Caroline sighed, and drew her daughter into a hug. ‘It’ll be fine, sweetheart.’

‘I know it will,’ Kayla replied. ‘But, I mean, it’s a lot to take in. He might freak out or something.’

‘Baby, if he really cares enough about us, he won’t change his mind. He won’t judge. It will just be . . . new to him.’

‘Mmmh. When’s he getting home from work?

Her mother spared a quick glance at the clock, which was just going on four. ‘About now. But we’ve got to do this carefully, okay? No dropping a bomb.’

‘I know,’ Kayla said again.

Kayla retreated to the lounge room for the next half hour, and curled up on the couch with _Pride and Prejudice_ to calm her nerves. Despite this, at the sound of the car pulling into the driveway, her heartbeat seemed to be going at a hundred miles an hour.

_Thump._

That was the car boot closing.

Then there were footsteps.

The front door opened. Then, finally, what seemed a million, suspenseful years later:

‘I’m home!’

Despite expecting it, Kayla still flung her book across the room in a fit of nerves. The hard cover hit the mantelpiece with a loud crack and fell to the floor, bending the spine and crushing half the pages.

She didn’t even care. She felt like she had gone into a state of paralysis, her hand still extended out in front of her. Through the doorway to the kitchen, she saw her mother look up from the bread she was kneading to kiss the blonde haired man who had just entered. The conversation that followed sounded like it was coming through a thick wall, even though the area was quite open.

‘How was work, honey?’

‘The usual,’ Paul Jacobson replied, moving to look at the recipe book Caroline was reading from. ‘Fired two people.’

Kayla drew in a deep, but shaky breath as they continued to talk, and tried to look back at her poor book. Chance had been sniffing it, and was now chewing the corner. She made no effort to stop him.

How was she going to do this?

_Hi Paul. It’s me, Kayla. You know, your future stepdaughter, if you choose to stick around. You know how I disappear for most of the year to go to boarding school? Yeah, well, as it turns out, I’m actually a witch, and said school is actually a huge, ancient castle where people like me go to study magic . . ._

That was _so_ going to go down well.

She buried her face in her hands. What was she going to do? There was only so much that her mum could do to help. Kayla would have to do the rest, and she was going to mess it up. She just knew it.

Her mother’s voice suddenly caught her attention. ‘ . . . She actually wanted to talk to you about something. I think she’s in the lounge.’ There was a pause, and Kayla looked up just as Caroline poked her head through the door frame. ‘Kayla.’

If there was an official definition for “The End of the World”, Kayla was pretty sure this was it. She got unsteadily to her feet and nodded, before going to rescue Mr Darcy from the clutches of her cat and his fishy breath.

Paul was sitting on the barstool at the bench when she walked into the kitchen, reading the paper. He looked up at her entrance and smiled. ‘Hi, Kayla.’

‘Hey, Paul,’ she responded, forcing a smile in return. ‘How was your day?’

‘It was good, thanks. Yours?’

‘Alright.’ Wringing her hands, she pulled out another barstool and sat down. ‘So, erm, I just wanted to talk to you about something.’

‘Sure thing.’

Kayla found it easier to look at his neatly trimmed, short beard than at his eyes, and focused on his chin as she spoke. ‘So, you know my school? Well, I was given special admission there when I was eleven, mainly because I have . . . the qualities that they want.’

‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘What’s it called again?’

‘Hogwarts.’

‘Hogwarts. Can’t say I’ve heard of it.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t expect you would have. That’s the thing, you see.’

He folded up the paper and sat it down on the table. ‘Yes?’

 _Now or never_.

‘Hogwarts,’ Kayla said unsteadily, ‘is a school . . . well, it’s a school of magic.’

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

Three seconds passed, and Paul still hadn’t responded. His expression was unreadable, and Kayla found that incredibly terrifying.

When he did respond, he sounded a little resigned. ‘Okay, Kayla. I get that you like to make jokes out of things, but what were you actually going to say?’

‘No, it’s true!’ Kayla insisted. ‘I’m a witch. The school sent me a letter saying that I qualified, and I’ve been going there ever since. There are so many jobs out there that I could take when I’ve graduated, in the wizarding ministry, in the health department, there are even jobs I could travel to Hungary for -’

‘Kayla,’ Paul said firmly. ‘I’m serious.’

‘And _I’m_ serious,’ she shot back. ‘Aren’t I, Mum?’

‘It’s true, Paul,’ Caroline said, drying her hands on a tea towel. ‘I didn’t believe it at first, either. But one of her teachers talked me through it, and there’s no denying it for me anymore.’

Paul didn’t speak for a very long time. Then he got to his feet, looking at Kayla. ‘If you could excuse us for a minute, Kayla.’

She nodded mutely, and was more than happy to disappear up the staircase. The sound of mildly irritated voices followed her, and she slumped against the hallway wall, listening to the way the words sounded rather than what they actually were.

She didn’t like it.

Then they started to escalate in volume. The frustration levels were rising along with it, and Kayla screwed up her face, burying it in her hands again. This wasn’t good.

And though Kayla was desperately hoping against it, the yelling started. Blows and retorts were tossed back and forth, each louder than the other. She could feel her heart in her throat, and she thought for a moment she was going to be sick.

Then she actually was.

Kayla quite promptly emptied the contents of her stomach on the hallway carpet, doubled over on her hands and knees. She wasn’t sure exactly what triggered it, but she was going to bet five Galleons it was because of the build-up of nerves she had been experiencing over the last half hour, right before her hormonal levels had peaked listening to the fighting down below.

That was when the tears started. She wasn’t soft – she was just anxious, plus it was the wrong end of the month, and therefore she was more high-strung than usual. She couldn’t really help it. They slipped hot and fast down her cheeks as she ran to the bathroom to finish vomiting, then to grab some toilet paper to clean up the mess she had left behind. That only really lasted for about a minute before she regained control of herself, and flushed the filthy paper down the toilet. She washed her face in the sink and brushed her teeth, before returning to the hallway.

They were still shouting.

She had to do something about it. She had to get Dan.

Kayla hurried down the hall to the phone, and punched in his number from memory, holding the receiver to her ear with a shaking hand.

He picked up on the second ring. ‘Hello?’

‘Dan!’ Her voice was horribly choked, and it hurt just to hear herself.

‘Kayla!’ She could tell by his tone that he was grinning, however after a pause he seemed to falter. Maybe he could sense her emotions by her silence. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Please come over,’ she begged quietly, wincing as the yelling seemed to escalate in volume. ‘Mum’s upset.’

Dan swore. ‘What happened?’

‘I can’t explain,’ she whispered. ‘I just really need you right now.’

‘I’ll be there in ten. Hold on.’

There was a click as he hung up, and Kayla stood there silently for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then, she mutely shuffled to the top of the stairs and peered anxiously down. She couldn’t see them, and figured she could probably slip down to the back door unnoticed.

And that she did. She sprinted down the street and stopped Dan’s car on the corner, stepping out of the way as he pulled up onto the pavement, half parking in someone’s garden. He opened the door and got out, brown hair ruffled and checked shirt half unbuttoned like he had been in a hurry putting it on, immediately pulling his sister into a tight hug. He stroked her hair as she mumbled undefinable sentences into the material of his shirt, neither of them sure what she was going on about.

Finally, he pulled away and rested his hands on her shoulders, looking down at her with hazel eyes identical to her own. ‘What happened?’

‘Paul,’ she said quietly. ‘He found out about me, and he doesn’t like it.’

Dan’s mouth set into a firm line.

‘Bastard,’ he hissed. ‘And I seriously thought he was better than the last guy.’

‘So did I,’ Kayla murmured.

He hugged her again. ‘I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. Nobody’s allowed to have a go at my sister.’

‘Oh, he didn’t have a go at me,’ Kayla said. ‘He sent me upstairs, and he and Mum started yelling at each other.’

‘My point still stands the same. You’re special, and he clearly doesn’t get that.’

She felt her eyes brim slightly with tears, and she hugged him tighter. ‘I love you.’

‘Love you, too.’ He gave her a reassuring squeeze, before pulling away. ‘Now let’s go sort this out.’

They spent the next five minutes trying to get the front wheels of his car out of Mrs Grey’s begonias (thankfully she was spending the week at the Bahamas), before they parked in the driveway of the correct house and went inside.

Unsurprisingly, they were still yelling. What about, Kayla couldn’t tell, but she was pretty sure a lot of pent-up emotions were being let loose right now.

Taking his little sister firmly by the hand, Daniel Edwards marched straight into the kitchen, before yelling at the top of his lungs: ‘ _SHUT UP!_ ’

Caroline and Paul both whirled around, a little shocked at the twenty year-old’s sudden entrance.

‘Dan?’ their mother said, looking surprised. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Kayla rang,’ he said tightly, his handsome features marred slightly by the glare he was sporting. ‘And with good reason.’

There was a pause as both of the men stared each other down with looks of equal dislike. Caroline sighed.

‘Look -’

‘No,’ Dan said sharply. ‘No. Either, he gets out -’ He jabbed a finger at Paul. ‘- or I’m taking Kaye with me.’ He stopped speaking for a minute, before adding, ‘Actually, I’m taking her with me either way. She’s staying at my place for the rest of the holidays.’

Caroline stepped forward. ‘You can’t just -’

‘Yes I can, Mum. She’s _my_ sister, no one else’s, so I’m not leaving her under this roof in these circumstances. And she’s not coming back here _until he goes_.’

He looked down at Kayla, who was still standing by his side. ‘Grab your trunk. Be back here in a minute.’

‘But I haven’t packed any normal clothes,’ she replied.

‘You can borrow Alison’s. She won’t mind.’

Alison was Dan’s fiancée. Kayla silently nodded, before turning and running up the stairs to her bedroom. All of her Hogwarts supplies were already packed, and Kayla figured she could get her mum to mail her casual clothing when she went back. She grabbed the trunk, and ran back downstairs with it thumping behind her.

Dan was waiting at the door, still arguing with their mother.

‘ . . . _You’re_ not the problem, Mum,’ he insisted. ‘It’s that piece of sh -’ He cut off at Kayla’s entrance and paused, before extending his hand to her. ‘Come on.’

She followed him out the door, before turning and giving a fleeting glance to her mother, who was standing at the kitchen doorway and watching her sadly. She mouthed _‘Bye’_ , feeling guilty but also slightly relieved. She needed to get away, but she didn’t want to leave her mother with him.

Dan put her trunk in the boot of the car, and Kayla got into the passenger seat, looking through the open curtains at the kitchen window. Caroline and Paul were arguing again, but with a look of finality, the former jabbed her finger at the door and mouthed a word that anyone could read even if they couldn’t hear, like Kayla.

_‘Out.’_

* * *

 

‘Here you go.’ The curly, blonde haired nineteen year old put a pile of clothes on the spare bed Kayla was sitting on, giving her a smile. ‘A few changes of clothes, pyjamas, underwear, and if you need anything else, don’t be afraid to ask.’

‘Thanks, Alison,’ Kayla replied. ‘I think I’ve got everything, though. Do you mind if I use the bathroom?’

‘Sure thing. You don’t need to ask. And if you’re hungry, I went shopping yesterday. The fridge is still full, so help yourself.’

‘Thanks,’ Kayla said again, smiling back. ‘You’re great.’ She got to her feet and went to the bathroom, locking herself inside. She rested her hands on either side of the basin and stared into the immaculate mirror, taking notice of her slightly red-rimmed eyes. With a heavy sigh, she splashed some water on her face and wiped it off with a towel, before re-tying her hair into a messy bun on her head.

There were still three weeks left of the holidays. She was going to have to tell Remus what had transpired not an hour ago, along with Lily and Marley.

She looked back in the mirror, taking in her tired, messy, unkempt looking self in all of her glory. To think, she had just been removed from her own home. That actually hadn’t happened before, but to think, Dan hadn’t been living away from home until two years ago. Things were starting to get complicated.

And it was the story of her life.


	51. Year 4 - Excuse Me For What?

**_ 51 – Excuse Me For What? _ **

** Remus **

‘I can’t believe he reacted like that, though.’

‘Mmmh.’ Kayla swung her legs back and forth underneath the bench, apparently oblivious to the sound of train whistles and commotion around them. It was obvious that the topic was still a rather sore subject for her, even though it had been a few weeks since it had happened.

There was a long pause, before Remus decided to break it.

‘So, you’ve been staying at Dan’s?’

She nodded. ‘All holidays. I’m sending Mum an owl when we go back.’

‘Fair enough. It was good of him to look after you.’

‘He wouldn’t have it otherwise. Neither would Alison.’

‘She sounds nice. I’ll have to meet them sometime.’

Kayla looked sideways at him and grinned slightly. ‘He’d assume we were going out or something. Then he’d spend the rest of my life teasing me, because you’re my supposed “boyfriend”.’

Remus laughed with her, quickly rubbing a hand down his face to cover the fact that his cheeks had gone twenty percent redder. ‘And if I told him I was?’ he teased.

‘Then I’d love to see the look on his face,’ she laughed. ‘I reckon it’d be like he was smacked with a heavy weight or something.’

‘Priceless.’

‘I know.’

Chance meowed pitifully from inside the cat carrier on the other side of Kayla.

‘He doesn’t look happy,’ Remus commented.

‘No,’ she replied absently, now looking around for any sign of their friends. ‘Dan picked him up on the way down here. I think he missed me.’

Remus stood up and stretched, contemplating a reply. Right when he was about to speak however, there was a shrill squeal of, ‘ _Babe!’_

Naturally, Remus looked around at that.

Sirius was legging it across the platform, James trailing a few metres behind him, looking mildly exhausted.

‘Catch me!’ Sirius cried, seconds before flinging himself at Remus. The latter, luckily enough, reacted instantly, and caught the considerably heavier boy before he reconnected with the concrete floor.

‘Merlin, Sirius,’ he wheezed, as Kayla was nearly crying with laughter beside him. ‘What did you do that for?’

‘I missed you,’ Sirius said in a childish voice.

‘That’s lovely, but you’re heavy. Do you mind?’

‘No.’

‘Ugh.’

‘I don’t know whether I should feel put out or not that you’re keeping Moony all to yourself, Padfoot,’ James commented, as he came to a stop beside the two of them. ‘Hey, Kayla.’

‘Hi,’ Kayla replied. ‘Seen Marley?’

James jabbed a thumb somewhere behind him, while Remus set about the strenuous task of dumping Sirius back on the ground, who was quite insistently hanging on.

‘Noooo, Moony,’ Sirius whined. ‘Don’t let me go! I love you! See?’ He planted a sloppy kiss on Remus’ cheek.

Remus dropped him.

‘Argh!’ Sirius quite literally bounced along on the ground, before he winced, rubbing his backside. ‘Merlin, Moony. You’re so mean!’

‘Don’t do that again,’ Remus said, wiping the saliva off his face. ‘That was gross.’

‘But _Moooooony_ -’

‘No.’

‘But -’

‘ _Sirius._ No.’

Sirius crossed his arms and pouted. Both Kayla and James were nearly doubled over in laughter, practically clutching onto each other to stay upright.

‘Don’t worry, Padfoot,’ James said, trying to regain some control. ‘ _I_ still love you.’

‘There!’ Sirius tossed his arms out wide. ‘I like Prongs more than you, Remus! He _appreciates_ me!’

Remus rolled his eyes.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘I wonder where the boys are,’ Marley said, standing on tiptoe in an attempt to see over the heads.

‘Oh God, no,’ Lily replied. ‘Please, let’s not.’

‘Would you rather we went and found Snape?’ Marley said, pausing and looking over at her with a pointed look. ‘ _Hmm?_ ’

Lily sighed. ‘I know you don’t like him, Marls, but -’

‘No buts.’

Another sigh. ‘Fine.’

Marley seemed to be thinking for a moment, before she went flat footed again and turned back to her friend, crossing her arms. ‘Look, Lil. You two sort of grew up together. I get that. But here’s the difference between James and Sirius, and Snape. They’re all gits, yeah? We both know that. But James and Sirius do what they do out of good humour. They’re just immature boys, stuffing around. Yeah, they’re prats ninety percent of the time, but they’ll grow up eventually. They’ll be mature at some point – or I hope, anyway. Snape, on the other hand, well, he’s different. The guys he hangs around with, they’re not being immature or anything, Lily, they’re evil. They want to grow up and -’ She paused to regain her breath, and wrung her hands, pursing her lips a little. ‘They all have these great big ambitions to grow up and be Death Eaters. You know that, too, I’d hope, but how do you feel about Snape wanting to join You-Know-Who, and kill people for the hell of it?’

Lily spent a moment letting those words sink in. She’d known that the entire time, deep down, but every problem had a solution. Or, she hoped, anyway.

‘He’ll change,’ she said quietly. ‘Sev doesn’t want to be like that, I know him. He won’t join Him.’

Marley sighed, and a small smile pulled at her lips. ‘You see the good in people too much, Lil.’ She ran a hand through her gold-brown curls, and closed her eyes for a minute. ‘You’re better than I am.’

‘Don’t say that!’ Lily said sharply, pulling her friend into a hug. ‘You’re amazing, Marley. And don’t you _ever_ change. You have a different way of looking at people, and . . . and that’s okay. Really, it is.’

Marley shook her head and let out a short laugh. ‘Nah. I’m just the psychotic cow that everyone steers clear of.’ She put her head on Lily’s shoulder. ‘Thanks anyway.’

Lily gave a rueful smile. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s put our trunks on the train.’

And so the two of them tracked down a spare compartment, tossed their luggage up onto the rack, and stepped back off the train again. No sooner had they done that though, a familiar face appeared.

‘Evans!’

Lily groaned. ‘Oh no,’ she muttered. ‘Please, no.’

‘Evans!’ Potter hollered again. ‘Oh how I’ve missed you, my sweet Lily flower!’

‘And how I’ve _not_ missed you!’ Lily shot back, folding her arms and watching him with hostility as he approached.

‘I have a question, my love!’ he announced, and Lily visibly cringed.

‘What?’ she posed flatly. ‘“How does one grow a brain?” Sorry, can’t help you there.’

He shook his head, tutting. ‘No, no, no, no, no.’ He paused for effect. ‘ _No_.’

‘What, then?’ She crossed her arms. ‘Make it worth my time.’

‘Lily.’

‘ . . . Potter.’

‘Lily Potter.’

‘Lily . . . Lily _WHAT?_ ’

‘Will you marry me?’

And with that, he pulled out a bright pink candy ring, and got down on one knee.

‘ _Excuse you?’_ she spluttered.

‘Excuse me for what?’ he asked innocently.

‘You just – I – _what?_ –no –WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?’

‘Will you marry me?’ he repeated simply, humour evident in his eyes. In fact, it was written _all over his bloody face_.

Lily couldn’t speak, she was that shocked. Eyes boggling, she tried to absorb what was going on. Here he was, the boy she disliked _the most_ on this _entire planet_ was proposing to her. With a ring made of sugar.

‘I’ll take your prolonged silence as a yes,’ Potter said cheerfully, quite promptly shoving the ring onto her finger. ‘Cheerio then, love.’ With that, he got up and sprinted off, yelling: ‘I’m engaged to Lily Evans! Beat _that_ , losers!’

Finally, Lily’s body seemed to regain its ability to function. ‘Gah!’ she shrieked, flinging the ring as far away as she could, not bothering to watch as it disappeared under the wheels of the train. ‘Ew! Oh _Merlin!_ ’

Next to her, Marley was beside herself with laughter.

‘Oh God,’ she choked, starting to go a bit purple in the face. ‘He actually – ha _HA!_ ’

‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ Lily said, rubbing her hand on her jeans in an attempt to get rid of all those Potter germs. ‘But first, wait here while I go and punch him.’

She pushed her way through the crowds of people, shrieking, ‘POTTER!’, not caring that almost everyone she passed turned to stare. In the end, she found him at the other end of the platform with Sirius, Remus and Kayla, still laughing his head off.

‘Miss me already, Evans?’ he asked jauntily when she skidded to a stop in front of him.

_WHAM!_

In short, after that, Potter needed Kayla to repair his glasses for him, and to perform a quick charm to fix his newly acquired broken nose.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

‘It is just me, or do you get stupider by the day?’ Sirius said with a broad grin as the four Marauders sat down in their compartment. James shot him a funny look and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Despite it being fixed, he made a point of complaining that it was ‘still tender’.

‘He’s always been stupid, Sirius,’ Remus said offhandedly. ‘Or are you thick enough that you didn’t realise that?’

‘Yes,’ Sirius replied, before realising what Remus had said, and letting out a loud noise of offence. ‘Oi!’

Peter chortled, and gave Remus a high-five.

‘ _Anyway_ ,’ James said with a pointed look, apparently trying to change the subject. ‘Any ideas for some start-of-year chaos, boys?’ He rubbed his hands together enthusiastically.

‘I say we turn Dumbledore’s beard pink,’ Sirius said immediately.

James pretended to jot it down on an invisible notepad. ‘Anything else?’

‘We could blow up the roast chickens,’ Remus said offhandedly.

‘Or blow the mint humbugs to the size of beach balls, then charm them to go floaty,’ Peter put in. ‘Then they can blow up and splatter over everyone.’

‘I like that, Pete,’ James said, with an approving nod. ‘Good thinking.’

‘We can turn the staircases into ice slides, then when people are trying to get up them, they melt,’ Sirius suggested.

‘Give the ghosts moustaches.’

‘Make giant turkeys appear, and get them to do Highland dancing on the tables.’

‘Set Peeves loose on Kayla’s cat. Now _that’d_ be a show.’

James continued to take note of all these, and raised his eyebrows at Peter upon hearing the last suggestion. A grin spread across his face nonetheless.

‘Right,’ he said. ‘I say we do them all.’

* * *

 

Dinner that night was fiasco. After the Sorting, Dumbledore stood up to make his speech, as per usual. And, as per usual, everybody expected it to be relatively similar to the previous year’s.

What they weren’t expecting was for a small dot of pink to start at the tip of the Headmaster’s long, white beard, and then quickly spread its way upwards.

At the sound of all the students beginning to laugh, Dumbledore paused, and coincidentally looked downwards. No one was all that surprised that he found it amusing.

Second, when the ghosts started streaming into the hall, no one could put their finger on exactly _why_ they were all sporting fabulous, black handlebar moustaches.

When the humbugs blew up, everyone turned to look at the Marauders, all sitting innocently at the Gryffindor table and looking around with broad smiles.

Then the chickens exploded.

When giant, vicious looking turkeys appeared all around the hall, everybody screamed and ran - only to find out that the stairs had turned into giant slabs of ice.

And then Peeves came tearing through, chasing after the poor cat.

Really, the start of term hadn’t been this chaotic before. But it had the impact that the Marauders wanted –nobody was likely to forget tonight.


	52. Year 4 - Divination

**_ 52 – Divination _ **

** Sirius **

‘Guess who’s _still_ taking Muggle Studies!’ Sirius said brightly, nearly accidentally-on-purpose shoving Kayla’s face into her porridge bowl the next morning.

‘Mmmf,’ she responded, now trying to pick bits of breakfast out of her hair, which hadn’t escaped the porridge attack. ‘You? Really?’

‘Uh huh,’ Sirius said. ‘You proud of me?’

‘Immensely. Now don’t push the back of my head like that.’

‘Why?’

‘Because this will happen.’ With that, Kayla grabbed a big spoonful of porridge and flicked it in his face.

Sirius blinked.

He blinked again.

He blinked four times, because it took him that long to comprehend what happened.

‘Did you just -’

‘I did,’ Kayla responded smugly.

‘You -’

‘Yep.’

‘But -’

‘I know.’

There was a pause.

‘ _Reeeemus!_ ’ Sirius bawled. ‘Your lady friend’s flicking porridge at me!’

‘Suck it up, buttercup,’ Remus responded, not even looking up from his copy of _The Daily Prophet._

‘ _Well_ ,’ Sirius said, his tone one of the utmost offence. ‘Aren’t _you_ charming.’

Remus gave him a single thumbs-up over the top of the paper, and Kayla grinned impishly up at him.

‘Match made in heaven, I swear,’ Sirius muttered.

‘What was that?’ Kayla asked.

‘Nothin’.’

‘I’m certain you said something.’

‘Nope.’

‘I’m pretty sure if I turned you into a Sasquatch, you’d have something to tell me.’

‘Mmm, nah.’

‘Oh?’ Kayla quirked a single eyebrow, and Sirius immediately cringed.

‘No . . . ?’

 _Hmm_ . . .’

‘Please don’t hex me,’ Sirius said, watching her warily.

‘You’re gonna need to do more than that.’

‘Please,’ he begged, making a dramatic show of waving his hands around. As a second eyebrow travelled up her forehead, he plopped down on the bench next to her, and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a grip that was almost suffocating, shaking her violently back and forth. ‘ _Please!’_

‘Merlin, Black!’ she exclaimed, looking at him with wide eyes whilst also trying to wriggle out of his vice grip. ‘Fine, you can live!’

Sirius immediately let go of her. ‘Thank you,’ he said cordially. 

She rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Oh, what fun,’ Lily muttered sarcastically as she scanned over the timetable Professor McGonagall had just given her. She looked at Marley with a tortured expression. ‘First lesson of the year, _double Divination_.’

Marley winced. ‘Have fun, Lils.’

‘Ugh. Think of me in Arithmancy, won’t you?’

‘Better to think of you than those bloody numbers.’

‘I swear if Professor Deadry predicts someone’s death _again,_ I’ll throw my tea leaves.’

‘Make it at her face,’ Marley said with a small smirk. ‘What did she say last time? That you’d die before you’re twenty two?’

‘Which is complete and utter rubbish,’ Lily added. ‘I won’t be married yet by then, and I’ll be damned if I die before my wedding.’

‘Hear, hear.’

‘Hmph.’ Lily folded up the piece of parchment and put it in her bag, before getting up off the bench. ‘Don’t be late to class,’ she said, looking down at Marley. ‘It’s only the first day back.’

‘Yes, Mum.’

Rolling her eyes, Lily walked out of the hall and started the long journey up to the North Tower.

She walked with her arms crossed and muttered to herself, pausing momentarily to direct a persistent Sir Cadogan away on a “quest” when he had followed her all the way along the fourth floor.

What she didn’t expect however, was that when she reached the foot of the tower, was to see a group of unfamiliar students mixed in with the faces she knew.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked Aislin, a friendly Ravenclaw she occasionally conversed with in this class. 

The blonde shrugged a little. ‘I think that since this class is so small, they’ve merged the third and fourth years together.’

‘Fair enough,’ Lily commented, raising her eyebrows a little.

When the ladder descended, the group clambered up into the stuffy tower and sat at the tables positioned around the room. Lily hesitated a little – she never really had a set seat in this room, and she normally contemplated where to sit before every lesson – before a face she knew waved her over.

‘Alice!’ she said, sitting down at the table. Alice Prewett, a blonde third year she was quite close to, beamed at her.

‘Hey, Lily!’

‘I didn’t know you were taking Divination.’

She shrugged a little. ‘I preferred this over the other subjects.’

‘Trust me,’ Lily said, ‘you’ll change your mind before the day is out.’

Alice laughed. ‘That bad?’

She nodded. ‘Mmm hmm.’

‘Oh well.’ She laced their arms. ‘We’ll suffer through it together.’

‘Well aren’t I glad I have you,’ Lily laughed. ‘Maybe this’ll become tolerable.’

As the lesson progressed, Lily found quite a lot of entertainment in watching Alice’s eyebrows travel up her head when listening to Professor Deadry’s lecture. At one point, she turned her head to Lily and mouthed, ‘ _Is she_ serious _?_ ’ Lily grinned and nodded in response.

Finally, when they were given instructions for that lesson (reading tea leaves again to “get them back into the flow of things”), Alice flipped through her textbook with a look of incredulity.

‘She’s mad,’ she said. ‘I honestly thought predicting the future would be more . . . intelligent looking than this. The _Inner Eye?_ Merlin . . .’

‘Off her rocker, alright,’ Lily sniggered. ‘This entire subject’s plain barmy.’

The two of them poured their cups of tea, drank the liquid, and drained the cups to separate the dregs from the leaves. Alice finally turned hers the right way up, and stared at the messy clump of black stuff in the bottom.

‘Hey,’ Lily said, staring scrutinisingly at her own. ‘I think mine’s got a leprechaun. Or is it You-Know-Who in a top hat?’

Alice burst into laughter, attracting funny looks from the rest of the class, and a disapproving glare from Professor Deadry. When she finally calmed down, she spoke. ‘Well, I’m pretty sure my Inner Eye’s clouded. All I can see is tea leaves.’

‘Then I believe there’s tea in your near future,’ Lily said in a mysterious voice. Alice started shaking with giggles again. ‘Maybe you’ll have a cuppa at dinner.’

‘Oh, indeed,’ Alice said. ‘I generally do, you see.’

‘Well,’ Lily said, now looking back at her own cup. ‘I’m almost certain that the Dark Lord doesn’t run around in a top hat. So my future’s a load of baloney, for all it’s worth.’

‘This subject’s a load of baloney,’ Alice said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry ‘bout it, Lily.’

‘Wasn’t planning on it.’

The two of them started giggling again. Alice began nudging her cup around the table due to a lack of anything else to do, and Lily joined her, the two of them eventually charming the drinking equipment to skid around the wooden surface of its own accord.

‘Whose head should I send this flying into?’ Alice wondered, grinning mischievously.

Lily blinked at her. ‘You sound like Marley when you say that.’

‘McKinnon?’

‘Yeah.’

Alice shrugged, then said, ‘Rob Greene. I’m going to try and take him out.’

‘Come off it. That’s a bit mean,’ Lily replied, but she couldn’t stop her lips quirking up into a little smile.

‘Aww, hey, he’s a good target!’

Since the two of them were so involved in their discussion, neither of them were watching their cups. So, naturally, it scared the living daylights out of them both when the pieces of ceramic shot off the desk and collided with poor Rob anyway, considering he was sitting just in front of their table.

‘Bah!’ Alice cried at the sound of smashing china. Heads swivelled from all directions to look at them, and both of the girls blushed red to the roots of their hair. Lily gave what was supposed to be an innocent smile, but was unsuccessful, as it turned out looking like on of _Marley’s_ innocent smiles – meaning that she looked a hundred percent guilty.

Still, it was better than actually doing Divination. 

* * *

** James **

‘Hey!’ James cried suddenly, looking across the common room early one Friday night. ‘I think – maybe – come with me.’

He grabbed Sirius by the wrist and dragged him across to his newly appointed destination: right in front of Evans.

She, Marley and Kayla were all standing together in a corner, talking about something or other. All of them looked up at the boys’ arrival.

Without even giving her a cheeky greeting like he normally would, James simply grabbed Evans roughly by the shoulders and shifted her (triggering a loud, squeaky noise of discomfort while doing so) so she was almost pressed right up against his person.

‘Measure us,’ James said, looking at Sirius. After a thought, he slipped off his trainers and said to Evans, ‘Shoes. Off. Now.’

She frowned at his rudeness, but was evidently just as curious to see what the results of this were. She kicked off her shoes and visibly shrunk a few centimetres.

‘Alright,’ Sirius said, now eyeing the two of them scrutinisingly. ‘Stand back-to-back.’

They both complied, and he put a hand on each of their heads, comparing. Then a wide, toothy grin split his face. ‘Ha _ha!_ You’ve _made it_ , Prongsie! After three long years, you’ve done it!’

James hollered and whooped. ‘Yes! By how much?’

‘An inch, I’d say.’

‘Hang on,’ Evans cut in, still frowning. ‘You’re _taller_ than me?’

‘By an inch!’ James cried. ‘I’ve got the height advantage!’

‘That’s not fair,’ she said indignantly.

‘Yes it is,’ James said. ‘Because now I can do things like this -’

He pulled out the clip that was holding her hair up, then proceeded to dangle it a long way above her head, aided by his long, lanky arms. Evans made a noise of frustration as her hair tumbled out and over her shoulders, and she lunged for the pin. ‘Give that back!’ she cried insistently.

‘No,’ James replied, smirking (down!) at her. ‘Jump for it.’

She crossed her arms and glared at him. ‘You may be taller than me now, Potter, but that means I can still do stuff like _this_.’

And thus she kneed him in the crotch.

Three guesses what James’ response to _that_ one was.

Off to the side, the girls and Sirius were all howling with laughter, while James let out a large range of colourful expletives.

‘Oh, that was pure gold, Evans,’ Sirius choked out, nearly red in the face. Evans just stuck her nose in the air and stepped back to the security of her friends.

Just as everything was about to calm down, Marley let out a screech as Sirius yanked her over to his side. ‘Now measure us,’ he instructed James.

James didn’t even need to use hands to see there was a notable difference. And once he had measured up what that difference was, he was grinning from ear to ear.

‘You’ll love this, Padfoot. Two inches. _Two inches_.’

‘ _What?_ ’ Marley screeched.

‘Oh yeah!’ Sirius pumped his fist in the air. ‘Gotcha, brat!’ He trapped Marley in a suffocating hug and rubbed his fist against her hair, causing it to stick up in all directions.

‘Ugh, eff off, Black,’ Marley said indignantly, squirming.

‘But guess what?’ Peter and Remus joined them, after apparently watching the previous unfolding of events.

James looked at Peter. ‘Yeah?’

‘I’m taller than Remus!’

James felt his eyebrows travel up his head, and sized them up, seeing about a centimetre’s difference. ‘So you are,’ he said, sounding impressed. ‘Good job, Pete!’

Peter puffed up proudly, and Remus rolled his eyes, apparently disgruntled by this.

‘Well, Shortie hasn’t changed,’ Sirius noted. ‘She’s still short.’

Kayla huffed. ‘Well, I’m _sorry_ ,’ she said exasperatedly. ‘I can’t help it, y’know.’

He grinned. ‘I bet you could. In fact, I remember Flitwick mentioning Stretching Charms the other day – I could look them up -’

‘ _No_ ,’ Kayla said, with extreme emphasis. ‘I wouldn’t trust you to butter my toast, let alone make me _taller_.’

Sirius sighed dramatically. ‘You’re lack of faith is wounding,’ he told her.

‘Yeah, Padfoot, and so’s your face,’ James said, cutting in.

Sirius’ head swivelled to look at him. ‘ _Excuse you?_ ’

‘Run,’ Remus muttered, starting to grin. ‘Run, James.’

And James ran. Curse his gob.


	53. Year 4 - You're Strong

**_ 53 – You’re Strong _ **

** Lily **

‘What’s up?’

‘Nothing’s up,’ Severus replied immediately, making a show of riffling through his Potions notes, apparently in search of his instructions to brew a Rapid Hair-Growth potion.

Lily sighed and passed him her copy, not believing him in the slightest. ‘Don’t try to fool me, Sev. Now what’s going on?’

‘Nothing,’ he said again.

Lily crossed her arms. He seemed quite high strung, but she didn’t want to push it too far unless she incited his temper. Severus had been pretty grumpy lately. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Potter was still prancing around the school, telling all people, teachers, ghosts and inanimate objects that would listen that he and Lily were “engaged”.

Severus got told this at least four times a day, followed by a hex that Potter was still trying to fine tune, intended to turn him into an armadillo. And, at least twice a day Severus had to go to the Hospital Wing with an armadillo for a head. Lily accompanied him every time – after hexing Potter in return herself, of course – and it was never pretty.

Well, how could it be? Like Marley had said at one point, it was a _freaking armadillo._

‘You’ve got to tell me some day,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to let up.’

Severus sighed a little. ‘I _know_ you won’t.’

‘Hmph.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

‘You’re a _genius_ , Remus!’ James cried, looking at the mirror. ‘It’s gotta work now!’

Remus folded his arms and grinned a little. ‘Well, you know. I try.’

Sirius tapped the second mirror he was holding with a look of suspicion. ‘Mmm, I dunno . . .’

‘Shut it, Black,’ James said. ‘This is at least half a year’s hard labour – just give it a try. I’m pretty sure mine works.’

‘But really,’ Sirius said, looking at Remus as though James hadn’t even spoken. ‘A Sensory Charm? What good will that do?’

Remus raised his eyebrows. ‘What do you think, hmm? A _Sensory Charm_. I’ve modified it so it responds to voice, and will affect the other mirror.’

Sirius’ mouth made a small o, but Remus could tell that it had flown over his head. So he just rolled his eyes and said, ‘Believe in the magic, Sirius.’

‘I believe in the magic,’ Sirius repeated determinedly.

‘I believe in the magic,’ James echoed.

‘Believe!’

‘Be _lieve_ in the magic!’

Remus rolled his eyes, and picked up Sirius’ mirror. He turned it over in his hands, and said, ‘James Potter.’

The mirror shimmered, and Remus found himself looking at James’ face. James blinked, and looked into his own. ‘There’s a mini Moony in here!’

Sirius snapped to attention at that. ‘Really? Gimme!’ He snatched the mirror out of Remus’ hands and started ogling it. ‘It works!’

‘Of course it works!’ Remus exclaimed. ‘Who do you take me for?’

‘Hey, Prongs,’ Sirius said, a grin spreading over this face. ‘What would happen if I shove this up your -’

Remus pushed his chair back with a loud, scraping sound, and got to his feet. ‘I’m going. Now. Goodbye. Don’t try to find me for at least three hours.’

The two of them didn’t even notice that he’d left.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘The Hogwarts Rumour System functions as wonderfully as ever, and something has reached my ears that may explain why Snape is so brassed off.’

Lily looked up at Marley’s entrance, marking her place in the book she was reading. ‘Really? What?’

‘Quidditch.’

The eyebrow that travelled up Lily’s forehead served to prove that that single word had no impact on her whatsoever. ‘Continue,’ she said, after a pause.

Marley waved her hands wildly in a what-the-hell-it-makes- _sense­_ gesture, but kept talking.

‘He tried out for the Slytherin Quidditch team,’ she said slowly, like she was talking to a foreigner. ‘And didn’t get on. In fact,’ she added cheerily, now returning to her usual speed, ‘they rathered that they had _Crabbe_ on their team – and he’s a _troll!_ ’

She stopped and tried to read the impassive expression on Lily’s face. Then, after a long moment:

‘ _Quidditch_ ,’ Lily said disgustedly. ‘All this bloody fuss is about _Quidditch!_ I think he almost took my head off the other day, he was that grumpy, and it was over QUIDDITCH!’

Marley instinctively ducked for cover.

Lily slumped back into her seat, and rubbed a tired hand over her eyes. ‘Oh my God . . .’

Marley sniggered a bit, quite enjoying all of the expressions that were crossing Lily’s face in the space of four seconds.

‘I’m going to have to talk to him, now . . .’ the redhead mumbled. ‘Ergh . . . How can I be sympathetic over something like _this?_ ’

‘You don’t,’ Marley replied simply. ‘You toss him over and run away cackling.’

Lily gave her a scolding look.

Marley grinned.

* * *

 

** James **

‘We shall no longer face the struggle accompanied with being in separate detentions,’ James declared, stuffing his hands in his pockets as both he and Sirius walked down the crowded corridor. ‘It’s marvellous, wouldn’t you say, old chap?’

‘Certainly, m’boy,’ Sirius said, bobbing his head in agreement. He slapped a hand over his heart to make his point. ‘Absolutely splendiferous.’

‘And I say, Moony is a wonderful man, taking his time to aid us in our cause.’

‘What shall we ever do to repay him?’

The two of them trailed off into silence as they contemplated this, and snippets of conversation around them could be heard better.

‘- that last match, though -’

‘- did you finish your Potions homework?-’

‘- they’re mad. Really, they are -’

‘- so I said to her: “Sister, if you’re gonna mess with me –”’

‘- seen Lupin’s scars lately? -’

Both James and Sirius stiffened at those four words, and looked around for the source of them. A group of Hufflepuffs were meandering their way down the hall.

‘Yeah,’ said a black haired boy who looked about fifteen. ‘They’re hideous, aren’t they?’

‘I wonder what he does to himself,’ a blonde girl pitched in, hefting her satchel further up her shoulder as she walked. ‘I mean, they’re really obvious. Maybe he -’

‘Maybe he has this ritualistic tradition. I bet he has an odd family tree, and he goes off once a month to the Forest to get savaged by something in there,’ a brown haired boy added. James couldn’t see his face, but his fingers were already twitching with the desire to wrap themselves around that boy’s neck. Beside him, Sirius was just as livid. But, they kept listening.

‘His dad is nuts, from what I’ve heard,’ the girl added.

‘They’re all mad,’ the second boy said, and by the sound of his voice, he was grinning.

‘I don’t see why the teachers like him so much,’ she continued. ‘He’s clearly . . . different.’

‘It’s because he’s touched to the head,’ the brown haired boy said, and at that moment, he turned a little, making his face visible.

Amos Diggory.

And just like that, James’ fuse blew. Sirius’ willpower clearly gave out at exactly the same time, and letting out yells of fury, the two of them whipped out their wands, pointing them sharply into his back.

The girl screamed, and the black haired boy’s eyebrows shot a mile up his forehead.

‘You take that back _right now_ , Diggory,’ James ground out. ‘ _Now._ ’

Diggory let out a bark of laughter at the sound of his voice. ‘Nice to see you too, Potter.’

Sirius jabbed his wand into his neck, leaving a red mark. ‘I will hex you into oblivion,’ he warned, his voice low.

‘Yes, because you’re _such_ a teacher’s pet. Well, Lupin is, anyway.’

‘Stupify!’

Apparently Diggory was quicker than they thought, because he dodged the spell just in time. Drawing his own wand, he retaliated.

‘Rictusempera!’

And just like that, war broke out.

‘Expelliarmus!’

‘Stupify!’

Hexes flew back and forth, but the four of them, once the other boy had joined the fray, were equally skilled in duelling. The girl had long since run off.

In the end, James shoved his wand back in his pocket and lunged at Diggory, tackling him to the ground, and landing punches wherever he could. The Hufflepuff fought back, and damaged noses quickly became the reason for blood being smeared all over the floor.

‘ _POTTER! DIGGORY!’_

McGonagall’s voice cracked through the corridor like a whip, and Professor Sprout’s exclamation of surprise towards Sirius and the other boy quickly followed.

James reluctantly to his feet, not bothering to staunch the flow running down his face. Diggory followed.

‘Potter, Black, with me,’ McGonagall said in a steely voice. ‘I’ll leave the other two with you, Pomona.’ She turned on her heel and walked off down the corridor. James and Sirius followed.

Several flights of stairs and lots of walking later, the three of them were seated inside Professor McGonagall’s office.

‘Take a biscuit, boys,’ she said, as they fidgeted anxiously. James and Sirius blinked at each other, before reluctantly taking one from the jar on her desk.

‘What. Was. That?’ she asked in a voice quivering ever so slightly with anger. ‘Fighting in the corridors? _Never_ have I been so _appalled_ by a student’s behaviour before! What happened?’

‘They were insulting Remus, Professor,’ James muttered, wringing his hands. ‘They said he had mental problems.’

If possible, the stern lines on her face softened ever so slightly.

‘Diggory’s a ponce,’ Sirius grumbled. ‘If he even knew _half -’_

‘Which he doesn’t,’ McGonagall cut in firmly. ‘And he never _should_ know. You are both aware of this, and I’m sure, that out of respect for Mr Lupin’s wishes, you would not go around informing people of what is really happening.’

‘But if those arses think they can just go around and -’

‘I think,’ McGonagall said, ‘what we need to be discussing here is your punishment. I will not simply let this slide. Fighting in the corridors is not acceptable under _any_ circumstances, even when one is provoked. Potter, you shall spend a week cleaning the Trophy Room – I’m sure Mr Filch will appreciate that -, and Black, you will be helping Professor Slughorn sort his potion ingredients, also for a week. Now, both of you go to the Hospital Wing, and have Madam Pomfrey check you for concussion.’

James let out a noise of protest. ‘But, Professor -’

‘ _Now._ ’

The two of them reluctantly got to their feet and made their way to the door. Just before they left, however, McGonagall added, ‘And check up on Mr Lupin, please. I’m afraid he’s been looking a bit peaky lately.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Kayla pushed open the door to the boys’ dormitory, and not even caring if anyone else was in there, walked in. The curtains were drawn around Remus’ bed. She crossed over to it, pulled them apart slightly, and climbed in.

‘Come here.’

Remus was sitting on his pillow, head bowed into his hands. ‘What good’ll that do?’ he mumbled quietly, his voice cracking a bit.

‘Come here,’ Kayla repeated. She tugged on the corner of his shirt insistently until he shuffled over a little. She wrapped her arms around him and let him bury his face in her shoulder.

‘Now tell me who I need punch.’

Remus didn’t answer. There was a long period of silence, before Kayla sighed quietly. This small noise evidently triggered him to finally start talking.

‘I guess the scars are becoming more prominent, huh?’

‘Remus . . .’

‘No, I mean it. I’ve noticed myself, you can see the ones on my face as clear as day. At least I can wear long sleeves on my arms . . .’

‘Remus,’ Kayla said firmly. ‘Who’s been talking about it?’

He shrugged a little, still not moving his head from its position just above her collarbone. ‘I dunno. Sirius and James heard . . .’

‘They heard someone,’ she finished.

‘Yeah.’

‘Rem,’ she said, patting him on the top of the head a little. ‘Look at me. Please.’

There was another pause, then Remus sat up, looking right at her. Kayla hesitantly reached out, and started tracing the most distinctly noticeable marks ever so lightly with the tip of her finger. One stretched from the corner of his cheek, just below the eye, right down to the middle of his jawbone. Another ran along the bridge of his nose, stopping beneath the other eye. A third began on his bottom lip, running down past his chin, all the way to the top of his throat. There were several other fainter ones, but these were the most prominent.

She finally spoke. ‘They don’t matter. They haven’t got half a clue about what you go through, and since they don’t know, they don’t have a single right to judge you. You’re a braver person than all of the boys in our grade put together, because you hardly breathe a word about any of it. And that’s what counts for me. That you’re strong.’

Remus gave a weak smile, and bowed his head again.

‘Now,’ Kayla said, letting out a heavy exhale, ‘I’m going to go and find those idiots, and -’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Remus said, immediately looking back up at her. ‘James and Sirius already dealt with them.’

‘Did they? Well, then. I’m going to go and get them a pie.’ She swung her legs off the edge of the mattress, and grinned back at him. ‘I’ll leave you alone now, but think about what I said. And you better damn well appreciate your friends, Lupin.’

He bobbed his head in response. ‘I already do. More than you would believe.’


	54. Year 4 - Envisions of Sirius' Death

**_ 54 – Envisions of Sirius’ Death _ **

** Sirius **

‘I’m just _too_ hot,’ Sirius said, preening at the thought as he plopped down in his seat next to Marley in History of Magic.

‘Hot damn,’ Marley mumbled half-heartedly, evidently more focused on searching for a quill.

‘ _Well_ ,’ Sirius said, crossing his arms and huffing. ‘At least I have someone who will say that to me properly, now.’

A crease appeared between her eyebrows, but if that had to do with what he had to say, or the continued search for the quill, he didn’t know. When she didn’t reply, he continued.

‘I’ll be properly appreciated now. All of the swooning around me is finally coming to some use.’

Marley threw her head back. ‘I can’t find my quill!’ she bawled. She breathed out heavily, muttering, ‘What the hell am I gonna use to draw?’ before snatching Sirius’ out of his own bag, and calming down. She dipped it in her ink pot, and started sketching.

‘ _Aren’t you going to inquire?_ ’ Sirius asked pointedly.

Marley shrugged a little. ‘Speak, peasant.’

‘ _I_ ,’ he said, emphasising the word, ‘have a _girlfriend_.’

‘Who?’ she asked absently, dipping her quill back into the pot.

‘Olivia Brown.’

Her eyebrows travelled about a centimetre up her forehead, and she nodded, popping out her lips so they made a perfectly round circle. ‘The blonde Ravenclaw bimbo. Good catch. A walking stick of makeup if I ever saw one. Save maybe Claire, but I know you wouldn’t go near _her_ with a ten foot pole, so . . . Well done, Black.’

‘I know,’ Sirius said, preening again. ‘She’s actually quite . . . er . . .’

‘Busty?’ Marley supplied, sniggering at the look of confusion on his face.

‘Come again?’

‘It’s a polite term for -’

‘Oh.’

‘Mmm. And I wouldn’t put it past you to notice that. Pervert.’

Sirius put a hand on his heart. ‘Excuse you! I have _rights_ , now! She’s my _girlfriend_.’

‘Only because you’re hot.’

‘I know.’

‘Hot damn.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Hey, she’s looking at us funny,’ Marley noted, looking across the room at the topic of their discussion. Olivia was indeed watching the conversation with slightly narrowed eyes. When Sirius threw her a wink however, she relaxed and batted her eyelashes at him.

‘I’m gonna go snog her instead of turning up to Defence,’ he said, looking back at Marley.

She pulled a face. ‘You _really_ didn’t need to tell me that.’ She paused and considered something. ‘Though, I suppose I’m going to be hearing _all_ about your love life from now on, aren’t I?’

‘Well, who else am I gonna tell?’ he asked indignantly. ‘James won’t listen unless it’s got something to do with Evans, Pete reacts like a little girl when he hears the word “snog”, and Remus sticks his fingers in his ears whenever I mention something of the sort.’

‘I feel quite put out, now,’ she commented. ‘So, what am I, the best piece of flesh that’ll listen?’

‘Well, yeah.’

‘Ugh.’ She brought her attention back to her drawing, finishing up some final details.

Sirius peered over her shoulder. ‘What’s that?’

She shoved the piece of parchment at his face. ‘Looky looky.’

He frowned at it. There were several stick figures, all with black hair, which were being put through vicious means of murder. ‘Is that . . . me?’

‘Got it in one, player boy,’ she responded dryly.

‘ _Why?_ ’

‘Last I heard, when you were on your “date” with Lily, you ranted – quite vehemently, might I add – about how you _really_ didn’t want a girlfriend. What’s changed?’

‘I . . . wanted a girlfriend? So I . . . went and got one?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Why do I even put up with you?’

‘Well . . .’ He stared scrutinisingly at the parchment. ‘Apparently you envision my death by Giant Squid to compensate.’

‘True, true.’

He shrugged. ‘I changed my mind, okay? My opinion now is different to that of six months ago.’

She pursed her lips, and started drawing another grisly ending for him. ‘You’re a prat.’

‘A hot prat.’

She gave a resigned sigh. ‘ . . . Hot damn . . .’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘And he just ran into it?’ Kayla choked out, going red from making an odd assortment of amused noises.

‘Uh huh,’ Lily laughed. ‘And it took him a few seconds to realise it.’

‘That’s . . . that’s James, alright.’

‘Champion of running into walls.’

‘What about James?’ Marley appeared at Kayla’s shoulder with Sirius just behind her, before plopping down on the common room couch beside the two.

‘He tried to flirt with me,’ Lily said.

‘And ran into a wall,’ Kayla finished.

Marley let out a squawk of laughter, and almost took out a passing first year with her flailing limbs. ‘Oh Merlin. That’s priceless!’

‘Prongs is destined for ultimate failure at the rate he’s going,’ Sirius said gravely, shaking his head in dramatic resignation. ‘It is time I steered him somewhere, otherwise the poor boy will crash and burn.’

There was a long pause.

‘ . . . Meaning?’ Marley said, raising an eyebrow.

‘I must find him a companion, of course!’ he cried, throwing his arms out.

‘ _Why?_ ’ Kayla asked, raising her eyebrows.

‘Because he’s _lonely_ ,’ Sirius insisted in a whiny voice.

‘No he’s not,’ she replied, shaking her head. ‘You know him, he’s high on Lily.’

Lily folded her arms and pulled her best grumpy face. That sort of observation was one she _really_ didn’t like.

‘Yeah, he can get her again later,’ Sirius said, shooting a quick look back at the girl in question. ‘But, he needs someone _now_.’

‘Alright, that’s kind of _wrong_ ,’ Kayla responded. She stuck her hands behind her neck and leaned back a little. ‘So you want to set him up with someone, then have him dump her when Lily comes to her senses?’

Lily made an outraged noise. ‘ _Excuse you!_ I will _never_ go out with James Potter! He’s a git!’

Sirius, Kayla and Marley all stared at her for a solid four seconds, before resuming their conversation like she had never spoken.

‘What about the poor sheila on the receiving end, huh?’ Marley asked indignantly. ‘I sure as hell wouldn’t like it if I were just a fill-in.’

‘You’re being a bit insensitive,’ Kayla added.

‘He’s always been insensitive. Hel _lo_ , he stole my _bras!_ ’

‘True,’ Kayla said, nodding.

Sirius was looking on like he was watching a tennis match, head swivelling back and forth as each girl spoke, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was being insulted. Lily, who was also watching, just sulked.

‘I’m still gonna do it,’ he said finally.

‘God, you’re a git!’ Marley said exasperatedly. ‘ _James doesn’t need a girlfriend!_ ’

‘Yes he does!’

‘ _Why?_ ’

‘Because!’

‘“Because” isn’t an answer!’

‘It is in _my_ book! C’mon, Marls, lemme do this.’

‘ _No_ ,’ Marley responded, emphasising the word.

‘Fine,’ Sirius said, crossing his arms. He looked at Lily. ‘Evans, go snog James and confess your undying affection towards him.’

‘No!’ Lily cried, revolted. ‘No chance, Black! Stop thinking I’ll end up with him!’

‘But you will!’

‘No I won’t!’

The three of them looked at her flatly again.

‘ _What?_ ’ Lily said insistently. ‘It’s not going to happen!’

They ignored her for a second time.

‘Marley,’ Sirius said patronisingly, looking at her. ‘Who’s the hot one, and who’s the curly one here? Hmm?’ At her unamused look, he answered. ‘I’m the hot one.’

‘Hot damn,’ Marley grumbled, crossing her arms.

‘You’ve been saying that all day,’ Kayla said with a hint of curiosity. ‘Why?’

‘I have to say that whenever he lets his ego loose and declares that he’s hot,’ Marley muttered. She kicked her feet up onto Sirius’ legs, and leaned back so she was lying on Kayla’s.

There was a long pause.

‘ _Right_ ,’ Lily finally said. ‘Anyway, moving on, the topic is closed. No setting Potter up with anyone.’

‘No,’ Sirius replied, getting to his feet, ‘I’ll just do it without your help. Goodbye, ladies and Marley.’

Marley made a funny noise. ‘Oi! Do I not count as a lady?’

‘Sure as hell you don’t.’

‘ _Oi!’_

* * *

 

‘Claire,’ Marley said slowly, as though testing the name on her tongue. ‘Sirius Black set my mother’s nephew up with my father’s-brother’s-wife’s-sister’s-second-cousin-thrice-removed’s-husband’s-aunt’s-daughter. James Potter with _Claire Winters._ ’

‘Ew,’ Lily said quietly.

‘You actually did research on the family tree?’ Kayla asked curiously.

The group, three hours after the previous discussion of the topic, had just learned this tidbit of information and migrated up to the dormitory, where they could discuss it without anyone overhearing.

‘This is worse than Hogsmeade,’ Marley muttered, burying her face in her hands. Lily gave her a small pat on the back.

‘I could go punch Sirius,’ she offered.

‘What good’ll that do?’ Marley mumbled. ‘I can’t believe James _actually_ . . . ugh.’

‘What in Merlin’s name did Sirius do to convince him?’ Kayla mused.

‘Beats me,’ Lily said.                

‘ _He doesn’t need a girlfriend,’_ Marley moaned, flopping back on the bed and letting her head sink into the pillow, so all that was visible was a mass of curly hair.

‘Mmh,’ Lily grunted, crossing her arms. ‘Why doesn’t Sirius understand that?’

Marley’s head rose a fraction of an inch from the depths of the pillow. ‘Lil. Let me give you a crash-course about the inner workings of Sirius Black’s mind.’

There was a pause.

‘Erm, I’m not sure I want to know,’ Lily mumbled.

‘Well too bad, ‘cause you’re gonna get it anyway.’

Kayla laughed a little, also flopping back so she was sprawled haphazardly across Marley’s midriff, and Lily, deciding to join in on the pile-up, sat on top of it all.

Marley grunted from beneath them both. ‘You’re quite heavy, you know.’

‘Mmm hmm,’ Lily said offhandedly, changing her mind and also lying down. ‘Now talk.’

‘Right. Crash-course. Okay, so here’s how it works. If Sirius comes to some great big revelation, he thinks that the rest of the world must share that opinion. It might have something to do with his family background and how he didn’t agree with it – I dunno – but the point is, when he decides something, everyone else _needs_ to agree with it. Say that brownies became the best food on the face of the planet – in Sirius’ opinion, anyway. He would go around, insisting this, and if you said “No, I quite like apple pie, thanks. Brownies give me constipation”, he would _force feed_ you the brownies until you said they were the best.’ She paused as she contemplated. ‘Or he might have just wanted to test out the constipation thing. Who knows. So, if Sirius gets a girlfriend, everyone else has to, too.’

Lily blinked. From what she could see, Kayla also blinked.

‘Uh, is this coming from a real-life example?’ the brown haired girl asked after a few seconds.

‘Nah,’ Marley replied, sounding a bit winded considering that the air was slowly being squashed out of her lungs. ‘Pulled it off the top of my head.’

‘I gathered that,’ Lily muttered. ‘Though considering that it’s Sirius, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually did that.’

‘Brownies?’ Kayla asked, sounding a little surprised.

‘Hey, brownies are good,’ Marley interjected.

‘But,’ Lily said, deciding that the pile wasn’t quite as comfortable as she initially thought, and rolling off of it, ‘of all the examples you could have picked from, why in _Merlin’s name_ did you choose constipation?’

Marley’s head turned from its position on the pillow, and Lily could just see a pair of brown eyes looking pointedly at her through the mane of hair. ‘Do you _really_ wanna question how my mind works, Lil? You know how random I am.’

‘Yeah . . . on second thought, retract that previous question.’

‘Thought so.’

‘Funny how we went from discussing James to talking about constipation,’ Kayla said thoughtfully, who, unlike Lily, was quite happy to stay sprawled out on top of Marley.

‘But those two things go hand in hand, don’t they?’ Lily asked wryly, now grinning from ear to ear. ‘James Potter . . . _constipation_ . . . Both some of the vilest things on the planet . . .’

‘Oh, that’s _low_ , Evans,’ Marley choked through a sudden outburst of laughter. ‘ _Low_.’

‘Deciding to go out with Claire was low.’

‘Touché, my red-headed friend-who-is-actually-related-to-a-horklump. Touché.’

‘What’s a horklump?’ Lily muttered confusedly, while Kayla let out a most un-girlish snort.

‘I have no idea, but it just sounded insulti – argh!’ Marley cut off suddenly as Kayla buried her face in the other girl’s stomach in an attempt to stifle her laughter, effectively driving her nose into her gut. ‘Geez!’

‘Sorry,’ Kayla giggled, ‘but – ahahah . . . you called her a _horklump.’_ She trailed off into hiccups as she wiped her streaming eyes. ‘Priceless.’

‘What’s a horklump?’ Lily asked again, furrowing her brow in confusion.

‘She just called you a spiky mushroom,’ Kayla said. ‘Gnome food. And she didn’t even know it.’

Lily let out a strangled noise at the same time that Marley cried, ‘So _that’s_ what I was growing on my Quidditch pitch over the holidays! I wondered what it was . . .’

‘You didn’t get rid of it?’ Kayla asked confusedly.

Marley looked aghast. ‘Hell no! A bunch of strange mushrooms just _sprout up_ by the goalposts, and the first thing you think I’m gonna do is rip ‘em up? What planet are you from, woman?’

‘Earth . . .’

‘Anyways, I looked after them. Gave them all their own names and everything – I still remember them. Agatha, Dave, Bobby-Ray, Billy-Joe, Nancy, Miriam, Bobby-Joe, Bobby-Joe the Second, Harry, Jackie . . .’

‘Oh my God,’ Lily muttered, burying her face in her hands. Kayla was once again trying to stifle a violent outbreak of laughter, and Marley was still rattling off names.

‘ . . . Martha, John, Bob, Mr Fat Mushroom, and Marley Junior.’ She looked back up at them. ‘Neat, eh?’ Her brow suddenly furrowed. ‘But then they just disappeared one day, and I never worked out why. Was quite upset, really. I’d visit them every day, bringing them plant food, and fertiliser – stuff I got from a Muggle store, mind you . . . maybe that’s why they left, actually – but anyway -’

‘ _Gnomes_ , Marley,’ Kayla cut in. ‘Does that ring any bells for you?’

Marley pulled a face. ‘Well duh. Of _course_ I know what a gnome is!’

‘ . . . And what did I say before about gnomes and horklumps?’

There was a long pause. Then: ‘ _Oh_.’

‘Yeah,’ Kayla said, nodding slowly and grinning at the same time. ‘ _Oh._ ’

Marley looked crestfallen. ‘But . . . but . . . Billy-Joe . . . Bobby-Joe . . . _Marley Junior!_ ’

‘Thank Merlin for that,’ Lily muttered quietly. ‘It’s _way_ too soon for another generation of Marleys just yet.’

‘ _Oi! I heard that!_ ’ Marley cried, as Kayla dissolved into another laughing fit.

Lily could only shrug, unable to keep back a grin of her own. ‘Well, it’s true.’


	55. Year 4 - Evolution In A Nutshell

**_ 55 – Evolution In A Nutshell _ **

** James **

‘I think you’re supposed to put the pin on the disk . . .’

James stuck his tongue between his teeth, before shifting the rod. ‘Like this?’

Marley frowned, flipping through Sirius’ Muggle Studies textbook. ‘I think so . . . Turn it on.’

James turned a dial, and the room was immediately filled with a loud, painful screeching.

‘Shoot!’ he yelped, turning it back off again. ‘I think I’ve put it on wrong.’ He adjusted the needle again. ‘Erm. . .’

‘Here, look at the diagram,’ Marley said, shoving the book at him. ‘See if you can make sense of it.’

James studied the picture for a long time, attempting to adjust the piece of Muggle technology accordingly. Marley looked around the dark, empty classroom, and cast another silencing charm she had learnt earlier that day for good measure.

‘If we get caught, we’re stuffed,’ she told him.

‘I know,’ he agreed. ‘But hey, it’s only eleven. Not too late.’

‘What do we do if we break it?’ she asked, nodding at the player.

James shrugged, just as it made a loud cracking noise.

Marley squawked and hurried to look at the damage, while James leapt away, issuing every curse word he could think of at that point in time.

‘Did I break it?’ he asked tentatively.

‘Don’t think so,’ she replied, examining it gingerly. ‘But if you did, we weren’t here, okay?’

‘Got it.’

She started fiddling with the dial, while James kept his distance. Finally, she put the pin back down, and there was a slight crackle, before actual sound started coming from the player.

‘Is it working?’ James asked, as a voice started speaking. Marley slapped his arm, and started bustling around, making a nest out of the pillows and blankets they had brought with them, and getting comfortable. She pulled the Invisibility Cloak over her like a quilt for good measure. She patted the space next to her, and James plopped down, also crawling beneath the Cloak, now listening to the audio.

‘ _When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton.’_

‘Always wanted to read this,’ Marley said quietly, excitement evident in her voice.

‘Same,’ James replied, attempting to multitask, talking and listening at the same time. ‘Just been too lazy to actually _read_ it.’

‘Ha.’

‘ _Bilbo was very rich and very peculiar, and had been the wonder of the Shire for sixty years, ever since his remarkable disappearance and unexpected return . . .’_

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘Oh, _come on_ , it’s not like they carry diseases or anything,’ Kayla said insistently, dragging a protesting Lily up the boys’ staircase.

‘But, but -’

‘Shush.’

‘Ermerf.’ Lily made a noise of disgruntlement, just as Kayla stopped before a door and knocked a few times. She could hear something that sounded like wizarding pop music issuing from inside. There was a noise of assent from within over the top of the din, and she pushed it open.

Well, half way, anyway. Remus beat her to it, before nudging her outside and bringing Sirius with him.

‘Please help,’ he said desperately.

‘I was going to ask the same thing of you,’ she replied, trailing off a little at the last word.

‘Sirius?’ Lily said questioningly. Kayla directed her attention to the other boy, before coming to realise that he had seemingly been forced into a tie-dyed shirt, with his arms pinned to his sides under the material.

‘Peter is evolving,’ was his disgruntled reply.

There was a long pause.

‘Into what?’ Kayla finally asked in a tentative voice.

‘A hippie.’

‘Uh oh.’

‘Yeah,’ Remus agreed, nodding a little and emitting a sigh. ‘It’s mad in there.’ He jabbed a finger toward the dormitory.

‘It’s midnight,’ Lily sighed, crossing her arms and shaking her head. ‘Why are you still up?’

‘Why are _you_ still up?’ Sirius responded haughtily, now trying to wriggle his arms out of the shirt.

‘Marley’s disappeared,’ Kayla replied. ‘We were wondering if you guys had seen her.’

‘James isn’t here either,’ Remus said. ‘We thought he was with her.’

‘Probably is,’ Lily agreed. ‘But where are they?’

Beside Remus, Sirius’ eyes widened as though he had suddenly gotten an idea. ‘I know! Though _why_ I didn’t think of this before . . .’ He abandoned all attempts at properly freeing himself, and nudged the dormitory door open with his forehead, before shuffling inside. Remus, Kayla and Lily followed in suit, and the two girls cried out in surprise at what they saw.

Peter was dancing on the bed in time to the music (which was presently an upbeat song by The Charmed Witches) wearing a tie-dyed shirt similar to Sirius’, two bright bandannas tied on his forehead, boxers with peace symbols all over them, and bright, stripy socks.

‘Oh Merlin,’ Kayla breathed. ‘What happened?’

‘Muggle magazines happened,’ Remus responded grimly. ‘Sirius ordered a huge shipment; Peter looked at some and got ideas.’

Sirius finally managed to wriggle the shirt over his shoulders, and tossed it in Peter’s direction. It landed on the boy’s head, but he didn’t seem to notice – he kept bouncing around and shrieking in a manner similar to Sirius. The other boy was now shirtless, and Kayla blushed red to the roots of her hair. Lily unashamedly stared.

Sirius himself, however, was now rummaging through his trunk, before he drew out a small, square mirror. He studied it for a second, before saying, ‘James Potter.’

The mirror went black, but Sirius didn’t seem to care. Muffled talking began to issue from it.

‘James. Oi, James!’

A grunt came from the mirror, and the image started to shift, like it was sliding along darkened material. Suddenly, James’ face was staring out of the surface. He looked disgruntled.

‘What?’ he asked irritably.

‘Where are you?’ Sirius asked.

‘I’m busy.’

‘What are you doing?’

‘Stuff. I’m _busy_.’

Sirius huffed. ‘Fine. But is Marley with you?’

‘Yeah. Now go away.’

There was a faint voice in the background, but Kayla didn’t recognise it. However, she was too busy ogling the mirror to care.

‘What _is_ that?’ she asked confusedly. Sirius ignored her, and continued to pester James about his whereabouts.

‘C’mon, Prongsie, if you’re doing a kitchen run without the rest of us, I’ll gouge your eyes out.’

‘I’m not doing a kitchen run,’ James responded. ‘Now go away – I’m trying to listen!’

‘Listen to what?’

But James’s face disappeared from the surface of the mirror, like he’d hung up on a phone call. Sirius grumbled, and tossed the mirror back into his trunk.

‘How about we go look for them?’ he suggested.

‘We’d get caught!’ Lily hissed, now looking alarmed. ‘What, are you mad?’

‘Ah, psh!’ Sirius said, waving a hand absently. ‘I know a way we won’t be caught.’

‘Padfoot,’ Remus said in a slightly resigned voice. ‘No.’

‘Padfoot, yes,’ Sirius replied, who was now walking on all fours, with his backside straight in the air, to James’ trunk. He flipped it open, and started rummaging through.

‘Bugger!’ he said after a long while, straightening up. ‘It’s not here!’

Remus rolled his eyes. ‘Well, duh. If he went out of the Tower, he would have taken it with him, wouldn’t he?’

‘Didn’t think of that,’ Sirius muttered disgruntledly.

‘What are you talking about?’ Lily asked with narrowed eyes.

‘The Invisi -’ Sirius was cut off by Remus slapping his hand over his mouth, and the rest of his sentence was comprised of undefinable mumblings. Kayla raised an eyebrow, and shot Remus a withering look. Remus quailed a little under her glare, but didn’t stand down.   
‘Fine!’ Sirius said, cutting in. ‘We can just have a little more fun avoiding the teachers.’

‘But -’ Lily’s protest was silenced by Sirius grabbing her wrist and hauling her out the door – much to her protest.

Remus gave a heavy sigh, before looking at Kayla and offering his arm. ‘Shall we?’ he asked in a mock-pompous tone, now grinning slightly. She laughed, and took it.

‘Alright, then. _Someone’s_ got to make sure he doesn’t kill Lily by accident.’

‘Agreed.’

‘ _We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz . . ._ ’

The two of them looked at each other as the voice travelled up the staircase and through the open door, exchanging incredulous looks.

‘Sirius?’

‘Sirius.’

‘I suppose it’s all an adventure to him, though,’ Kayla sighed, grinning a little as the two of them left the dormitory.

At the door, they stopped, and Remus said, ‘Everything’s an adventure to him. He sees it in _just_ the right light.’

Kayla looked over her shoulder at Peter, who seemed completely oblivious to what had just transpired. In fact, he was still dancing.

‘Should we just leave him here?’ she asked.

‘Yeah. I don’t think he’ll notice we’ve left.’

Kayla made a noise of agreement, and the two of them left the dormitory.

* * *

 

Lily was hiding in Sirius’ shadow.

Well, non-existent shadow, anyway. The redhead was creeping along behind him, anxiety written all over her face, and she jumped violently at small noises. Kayla had a feeling that if Lily weren’t mildly repulsed by the thought of touching him, she would be clinging onto Sirius’ person in order to hide better.

She suppressed a grin at the internal thought, and walked a little faster to keep up with Remus, who was leading the group and peering into empty classrooms.

‘Where are we right now?’ she asked, trying to make sense of their surroundings through the semi-darkness.

‘Somewhere along the seventh floor, I think,’ he replied, lighting his wand ever so slightly in order to see better. ‘Yeah.’ He pointed further up the corridor. ‘I think that’s the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy just up there.’

‘Okay.’

The sound of loud, paced footsteps from somewhere nearby scared Kayla enough that she almost smacked Remus in the face with her braid as she whipped around, trying to source it out. Conversation seemed to be travelling with the footsteps, as though there were two people engrossed in conversation. Kayla listened to them intently for a moment, before looking at the other three with an expression of horror.

‘McGonagall,’ she mouthed. ‘And Filch.’

Remus’ eyes bugged out of his head, and Lily opened her mouth in a silent scream. Sirius’ brow furrowed in a frown as he listened for himself.

 _We need somewhere to hide_ , she thought desperately, hurrying further up the corridor towards the tapestry, and pacing around. _We need somewhere to hide._

‘We need to find a classroom,’ Remus whispered to her. ‘A new one, because those other ones are back in their direction.’ He paused for a second, before whispering _‘nox_ ’, and causing the light at the end of his wand to go out, leaving them in relative darkness once more.

‘I don’t -’ Kayla started, but cut off suddenly with a slight gasp, looking behind her friend. ‘Where did that come from?’

‘Where did what?’

Remus looked around at the newly appeared door with an expression of surprise. He tried the handle, and found that it opened immediately. ‘Come on, in here.’

The four of them hurried inside, and Remus shut the door again. Kayla looked around. They were in a small empty room not much bigger than a few broom cupboards.

‘Where are we?’ she murmured. Remus put a finger to her lips as the sound of footsteps and voices travelled past, but the owners didn’t stop to acknowledge; almost like they couldn’t see it. When they were gone, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief, and Kayla tried to comprehend what had happened.

‘I remember trying to work this place out in first year,’ she started. ‘I knew there was something up about this place, but there was _definitely_ no door. It was how I broke my arm, actually.’

Lily chewed her lip, also thinking. ‘Maybe there’s some sort of enchantment on this. A broom cupboard that appears for students in need,’ she added jokingly.

‘That could be it, actually,’ Remus said thoughtfully.

‘Well, I kept thinking about how we needed a place to hide . . .’ Kayla said, trailing off. ‘And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t there before that . . .’

‘The Room of Requirement,’ Sirius said simply, looking at the three of them.

Kayla frowned. ‘What?’

‘Kitchen gossip,’ he replied with a grin. ‘I’ve heard some of the house elves talking about it a couple of times. It’s something nobody really knows about. It’s a room that changes itself to suit your needs. And if you don’t need it, it’s invisible.’

‘Okay, that’s weird,’ Lily said.

‘Makes sense, actually,’ Kayla put in. ‘We needed a hiding place, and it gave us one.’

Lily cracked open the door a tiny bit and peered outside. ‘They’re gone,’ she murmured. ‘But I really think we should go back to the dormitories. Marley will turn back up in the end.’

‘No, we’re finding them,’ Sirius said stoutly.

Of course, that statement resulted in them resuming their search, before unfortunately getting caught on the fourth floor an hour later by a tired and irritable Filch, thus landing all four of them a week’s worth of detentions. Lily almost passed out – she had only ever gotten one detention before, and that was a few years ago. In fact, she was hyperventilating by the time he had finished chewing them out, and had started to shepherd them back to Gryffindor Tower, telling them that Professor McGonagall would be the first to hear about this.

And to top matters off, when the two girls were sitting on their beds in the dormitory at six thirty in the morning, not quite able to sleep, Marley finally returned to the dormitory, unaware she was being greeted with death glares, and absolutely buzzing about The Lord of the Rings – which, apparently, both she and James had been listening to an audio record of in the Muggle Studies classroom for the last seven and a half hours.

Lily threw a textbook at her head.


	56. Year 4 - Quite Impromptu

**_ 56 – Quite Impromptu  _ **

** Marlene **

‘So, this morning you tossed Olivia over, huh?’ Marley asked as she twirled her fork between her fingers.

Sirius shrugged absently, apparently more concerned about splattering immense amounts of mustard on his bacon and egg burger. ‘Mmh.’

‘And rumour has it that ten minutes later you asked out Maddison Finch?’

‘Yeah. I think that was her name. Maddison – Was it Maddison? I thought it was Madeline.’

She rolled her eyes, before spearing a bit of waffle, dipping it in his mustard, and shoving it in his mouth when it was open.

‘Eugh!’

The correct word for what happened next wasn’t regurgitation – it was more like Sirius depositing a slimy, mushy mess of mustardy waffle into the big punch bowl full of dry cornflakes.

Straight.

Out.

Of.

His.

Mouth.

Thankfully, no one other than her saw, but they’d certainly be questioning what had ended up in the cereal. Marley let her forehead fall onto the table with a loud smack, while beside her Sirius started sculling pumpkin juice in his mouth.

‘You are disgusting,’ she muttered quietly. ‘How you come across as attractive, I don’t know.’

There was a pause.

‘Actually, I do,’ she said after a bit of contemplation, still having a conversation with only herself. No one else was all that bothered to listen. ‘You’ve got the right face, you’ve got biceps, you’re tanned from Quidditch, you’ve got that rustically shaggy sort of hair – not like James’; that’s just a straightforward mess – you’ve got abs, you’re hot in general, you have a fantastic nose, you’ve got abs, you’ve definitely got a snoggable look about you, you’ve got abs, you dress like one of those muggle supermodels that Lily pretends she doesn’t have posters of – actually, scratch that, you dress like you’re from a rock band . . . you know what, it depends what day it is; some days it’s the supermodel look, some days it’s the rock look, you have people wanting to date you, so that makes you seem even more attractive, and did I mention you have abs? Anyway, nobody’s listening to me, so I might as well stop talking . . .’

She eventually lifted her head back off the table to prove that indeed, no one had heard a word she had just said. She gave herself a wide, sarcastic and remotely unimpressed sort of smile, and proceeded to fish the waffle lump out of the bowl with a spoon and pass it off to James, who was sitting across the table, whispering, ‘Fling that at Snape for me, would’ja?’

James complied, and she turned back to Sirius, who was happily tucking into his oversized burger.

‘Why aren’t you fat?’ she asked incredulously. ‘You eat like a pig!’

‘I’m fit,’ he told her over a mouthful of food. ‘And hot. Besides, you eat like a pig, too!’

‘Hot damn. And that’s not the point. I’m fit, yeah, but I really don’t eat _as_ much as you. _Nearly_ as much, perhaps, but not _that_ much.’

He ignored her, already starting to make himself a second burger. Marley sighed, and started searching through her bag for her timetable.

‘I think I have Arithmancy first up,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Bloody hell. I just wanna go play Quidditch . . .’

‘Do you think she’s a looker?’ Sirius asked over another mouthful of burger. Marley drew her head from the depths of her bag.

‘Huh? Who?’

‘Madel-Maddison.’

Marley shrugged slightly. ‘Yeah, she’s pretty. And I can’t say I haven’t previously harboured ambitions to look like her someday.’

Sirius seemed satisfied with that answer, and went back to eating.

Marley rolled her eyes, and because she felt like it, grabbed a stalk of raw asparagus from one of the bowls and shoved it up his nose – much to his objection.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘I’m bored,’ Alice mumbled half way through that day’s Divination lesson, resting her head on her textbook. Lily, who was trying to squint into the misty depths of the crystal ball before them, gave a sudden start, and almost knocked the orb off its stand with her nose.

‘Aren’t we all?’ she replied eventually, trying to steady it. ‘Either I’m going mad, or James Potter’s face has somehow appeared in this thing.’ She gave the ball a rap with her knuckles.

Alice looked up, and an impish grin started to unfurl on her lips. ‘James Potter, hmm? I wonder why _he’s_ appearing in there?’

‘Because the world’s need to worship him is so overpowering that it’s making its mark on even the _inanimate_ objects of Hogwarts,’ Lily replied without a second thought, now flipping through her own textbook, hoping to find an explanation for why an egotistic maniac was apparently invading the crystal ball.

‘ _Well,_ ’ Alice said, putting emphasis on the word. ‘ _I_ think it’s because he might be _important_ in your future, if you know what I mean.’ She nudged the redhead’s side with her elbow and wriggled her eyebrows knowingly.

Lily stared at her for three seconds.

‘No, I don’t,’ she said finally.  

Alice wriggled her eyebrows again. ‘I’m sure you _dooooo_ . . .’

There was another pause. Then:

‘Nope.’

She sighed heavily, and leaned back, her blonde hair falling in her face. ‘Well, _I_ do.’

‘What?’ Lily prodded curiously.

Alice shook her head. ‘Nuh uh. I’ll leave you to it.’

‘ _Alice_.’ After a long moment of no response, Lily sighed. ‘Fine. But hey, I want to know something.’ She leaned in really close, and Alice turned her head so she could whisper it in her ear. ‘What do you think of Frank Longbottom, hmm?’ She grinned as Alice’s cheeks started to go pink, and continued, ‘If I didn’t know any better, I might think that you . . . oh, I don’t know, _fancied him?_ ’

Alice shook her head stubbornly, and Lily let out a tiny whoop of laughter, not even caring when the teacher hissed at her to be quiet.

‘Oh, you do, Alice! You do! I’ve seen the look on your face when he passes us in the corridors!’

‘You hush now,’ Alice said, cautiously looking around to make sure nobody had heard. After a while, she bowed her head a little and looked at Lily out of the corner of her eyes. ‘Maybe.’

‘Maybe, or _definitely?_ ’ Lily teased.

Alice sighed, still reddening, and brought her textbook up to cover her face. Lily just grinned, Marley-style.

* * *

 

** James **

‘Anyway, so I say to him, “Moony, giving Peeves inspiration is one of the best things a man can do”, then pat him on the back all friendly and stuff, and then he just calls me a sloth with the brain capacity of a goldfish, and walks off! He’s mad, I swear!’

She laughed, and gave their interlaced hands a little squeeze. ‘You’re not mad. Well, mostly, anyway.’

James shrugged offhandedly and grinned at her, making a wild gesture with his free hand. ‘That’s the thing, though! He uses complicated words just to confuse me! Seriously, who _uses_ complicated words?’

‘Not you, apparently,’ she said with a little nod in his direction.

‘Well . . .’ He pulled a funny face, and she laughed again.

A fairly familiar looking Ravenclaw boy passed them, and when he spotted James, called out.

‘Hey, Potter, when’ve you scheduled the date? Don’t forget to invite me – I’m a cracker at weddings!’

‘Sometime in the future, mate!’ James called back, grinning at him. The boy flashed him a thumbs-up and kept walking.

His companion’s brow creased into a frown, and she looked at him with a newfound expression of irritability. ‘Is that story still going around? _Why?_ ’ She sighed heavily, before continuing. ‘I still can’t comprehend that you did that.’

‘Hey,’ he said, stopping and turning her, putting his hands on her shoulders. ‘I was just mucking around. I got a right kick out of proposing to Evans – anyone would, honestly. The look on her face was just priceless. But that was ages ago, now. Don’t freak out about it.’

‘I’m not freaking out,’ she told him stubbornly. ‘It just bugs me that you still talk about it. I mean, you _liked_ her, obviously, and well, you still could. Like -’

‘Chill,’ he told her in a reassuring tone. ‘You _are_ freaking out. Breathe.’

She pouted and looked up (though there wasn’t much of a height difference) at him reproachfully through her eyelashes, and James actually found it pretty cute. He caught her hand as she reached up to swipe some of her hair out of her face, and brought it back to their sides, swinging it back and forth a little.

There was a tiny little part of his brain that desperately wanted to swap her face with Evans’, but he ignored it. Evans wasn’t important right now – he actually had someone who was paying him some mind. And he really liked it. It gave him a nice feeling. Besides, Evans was just someone who was fun to chase after. He never had any intention of actually _dating_ her, right? She’d never step down from her throne to his level, anyway. But now, he had someone who was happy with who he was. And that was _good_.

With that stubborn and strong-minded thought, he felt daring enough to lean down and drop a kiss on her lips; something he hadn’t done before.

She blinked in surprise as he drew away, and she started to smile a little. ‘Oh. Okay, then.’

‘We good, now?’ he asked, looking at her for confirmation. She nodded and leaned into his side.

That worked well.

He was happy with the fact that Sirius had intervened and set him up with her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be here now, would they? And he had realised something. He genuinely _liked_ Claire Winters.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

To be honest, dinner that night was a chaotic affair. Kayla hadn’t the slightest idea how it occurred, but _someone_ (her money was on Marley) had given Sirius the idea to stand up on the Gryffindor table when there was a significant lack of teachers in the hall.

And you know what he did to that table?

He treated it like it was the appropriate surface to use as a catwalk.

Yeah.

And, of course, whenever Sirius finds something absolutely stupid to do, James follows right in suit, dragging poor Peter and Remus along with him.

So now, there were four Marauders parading along the table, stepping (whether deliberate or not, she didn’t know) in everyone’s food. Kayla had just managed to save her roast potatoes before the same thing happened to her, and had now scooted back a little, watching on apprehensively and eating her meal one bite at a time. Thankfully however, now that everyone was watching the Marauders, no one noticed that she was ogling one of the boys more than she really should be. She was taking that opportunity quite gratefully, actually, and didn’t waste a second. After all, don’t you _generally_ stare at an individual when you fancy them?

Yes folks, Kayla Edwards had finally come to the realisation that she, erm, _liked_ someone. So to speak.

And the best bit? No one had realised.

Well, yet. Knowing her, she’d slip up soon, and everyone would know.

She was already dreading the humiliation. And yet, she still stared.

‘He’s got a nice arse,’ she finally commented to herself, under the impression that it was an internal observation – not a verbal one. And thus, the second she realised the words escaped her lips, her face flamed bright red.

Marley, who was sitting beside her and devouring some chips, heard her comment however, and looked up.

‘He does, doesn’t he,’ she agreed, not noticing her friend’s embarrassment.

Kayla blinked, and felt her eyes widen. ‘You actually think so?’ she asked in surprise.

Marley shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Well, I know it’s weird coming from me, but the rest of the population think so, don’t they?’

‘Wait.’ Kayla put down her plate and raised her hands in a time-out indication, momentarily forgetting her mortification, before saying, ‘Who are you talking about?’

‘Sirius.’ Marley gave her a look that said _duh_. ‘Who’re you on about?’

Kayla paused, and blushed again. Bugger. ‘Um, nobody.’

Marley looked at her scrutinisingly. ‘You are a terrible liar, Kayla Edwards. _Whose_ arse is good looking, hmm?’

‘Sirius’?’ she replied timidly.

Marley snorted. ‘You never compliment Sirius, so there’s _no way_ you think that. Now tell me the truth.’

‘No, really,’ Kayla lied earnestly. ‘Sirius is very . . . good looking, and he’s, uh . . . a . . . ladies’ man?’

Marley got momentarily distracted by that comment, and began musing to herself.

‘Another thing to add to my list.’

‘What list?’

‘My “Reasons Why Sirius Black Is Considered Hot by the Public” list.’

Kayla gave her a funny look. ‘How big is it?’

‘I’ve got twenty three points so far, and quite a lot of those come down to him having abs.’

Kayla didn’t reply for a long time, and when she did, it was in a tone that hinted at Marley’s obvious insanity. ‘ _Right . . .’_

Marley was too deep in her thoughts to notice. She kept looking between Kayla and the Marauders, the gears in her head clearly turning. Then, suddenly, she grabbed Kayla by the head and brought their faces really close, staring at the other girl with a calculating frown. ‘Hmm . . .’

Suddenly, she let Kayla go, and slapped her hand on the table.

‘Shut _up!_ ’

‘I didn’t say anything!’ Kayla cried immediately, defensiveness kicking in.

‘Your face says it all, Brownbraid,’ Marley relied. ‘Oh, this is _great!_ ’

‘What is?’ Kayla asked insistently. ‘ _Marley . . .’_

‘We need to have a girl talk back at the dormitory. Where’s Lily?’

Kayla wordlessly gestured to the doorway into the Great Hall, where Lily was standing and talking with Snape. Marley jumped up and seized Kayla by the wrist, before making a beeline to the redhead and dragging her off without her consent.

‘Oi! I’m busy!’ Lily cried as she stumbled along. She looked back at Snape, who was watching her leave with a look of the utmost surprise. ‘Um, bye, Sev! I’m sorry about this! See you later, yeah?’

Kayla didn’t hear his reply, as she was also too busy trying to keep a steady footing.

Marley completely ignored their protests until they reached their dormitory, before she shoved the two of them on her bed and plopped down beside them. Kayla sat up, grumbling quite a bit, before shooting Marley a glare.

‘What was _that_ about? You’re putting us through the mill at the moment, Marley – which reminds me -’ She looked at Lily. ‘- we’ve got detention in half an hour.’

Lily made a funny noise at that realisation, before smacking Marley on the arm. ‘You’d better have a good reason for this, McKinnon.’

‘Oh, I do,’ Marley replied smugly. ‘Because you know what I’ve just realised?’

There was a pause.

‘ . . . What?’

‘Kayla -’ She pointed at the person in question. ‘- _likes_ someone. And I know exactly who.’

That sparked Lily’s interest, and a little grin started to cross her face. ‘Oh? Tell me more.’

‘And I know this is totally cliché,’ Marley went on, ‘ _But._ I do believe – and I’m rarely mistaken about these sorts of things – that our shy little friend here -’ She gave Kayla a pat on the back, who shot her a funny look. ‘- fancies one Remus Lupin.’

There was a pause, and all of the girls’ responses to this sentence were quite different. Lily’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, Marley grinned triumphantly, and Kayla turned around, buried her face in the pillow, and wailed.

Despite most of the sound being muffled however, there was no mistaking Lily’s sudden squeal of delight. ‘Merlin, that’s so adorable! When are they getting together?’

‘Soon,’ she heard Marley reply. ‘Once I get this lump to move her butt.’ She then nudged Kayla in the backside with her foot, and the other girl could practically _hear_ the smugness radiating off her.

Kayla finally sat up, blushing heavily from head to toe. ‘You,’ she said, pointing at Marley, ‘are too observant, and an absolute cow. You,’ she continued, now looking at Lily, ‘get too excited about things like this. The day I get together with Remus, is the day that you go out with James.’

Lily winced at the low blow, while Marley coughed something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘ _Unlikely’._

Kayla glared at her. Marley shrugged, looking a little defensive. ‘Well, lady, then it comes down to whether you can control your need to snog him.’ A grin tugged at her mouth. ‘Which I _know_ you won’t be able to.’

Kayla continued to glare. Marley didn’t quail. In fact, she did quite the opposite.

‘Five galleons that they get together before Christmas.’

Lily looked at her. ‘Mmm, I say New Year’s.’

‘Like I said, five galleons.’

‘Deal.’

Kayla let out a heavy exhale of both frustration and embarrassment, and flopped back into the pillow.


	57. Year 4 - The Great Peanut Butter Mission

**_ 57 – The Great Peanut Butter Mission _ **

** Sirius **

‘Professor, might I ask you a hyperpopetical question?’ Sirius asked, making a show of packing up his Transfiguration books _very_ slowly, even when the rest of the class was long gone. James, who was hovering by the door and looking impatient, suddenly became curious about what Sirius was about to ask, and came back to stand by his friend.

‘I’m sure you mean a _hypothetical_ question, Mr Black,’ Professor McGonagall replied, not looking up from the assignments she was marking.

‘Er, yeah, that one. Anyways, supposing that someone wanted to become an Animagus – what would they do?’

‘They would take that up with the Ministry, and ensure that they are registered.’ The Transfiguration teacher looked at him sternly through her spectacles. ‘Which, I am sure you know, as you paid the _utmost_ attention in my class when we covered this unit last year.’

‘Absolutely unwavering,’ James cut in, nodding his head earnestly. ‘We’re just being hypothetical.’

‘Completely hypothetical,’ Sirius agreed. ‘No intended, er, result, is to come from this conversation.’

‘And, uh, continuing to be hypothetical, what are some of the processes one would have to go through in order to become an Animagus?’

If anything, McGonagall seemed amused at their bumbling questions, and humoured them with an answer.

‘The process is quite arduous, I assure you,’ she told them. ‘And if it were to backfire, you would be wishing you had never tried at all.’

‘And, um, might we find more information about this in a book?’ Sirius pressed, trying his best not to look conspicuous (just judging by the little snort James had just let out, he had failed).

‘You know, to, er, understand the _concepts_ behind it,’ James added.

McGonagall quirked a solitary eyebrow, before looking down at her paper. ‘I’m quite sure you could.’

‘Awesome,’ Sirius said, snatching up his books. ‘Thanks a bunch, Professor M. We’ll be off, now.’

‘I assure you, it will be nearly impossible for a handful of teenagers to attempt something like this,’ McGonagall told them, still writing. ‘So there appears to be very little point to you trying.’

‘Oh, we know that,’ Sirius lied. ‘Okay, toodles!’ He dragged James by the arm out the door.

‘Boys.’ Their teacher’s voice stopped them in their tracks, and they peered back into the classroom. ‘The top shelf of the Transfiguration section. Left hand side. _The Elements of Complex Transfiguration_. For hypothetical reasons, of course.’

Sirius grinned.

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘I’ll be damned if we _actually_ need to be able to transfigure a rabbit into a pot plant in the future,’ Lily grumbled, flipping back and forth through her textbook in an attempt to finish her essay. ‘What if the plant has rabies? Can plants even _get_ rabies?’

‘How would the plant get rabies, Lily?’ Kayla asked with a resigned sigh, trying to finish her Astronomy homework through heavy eyes.

‘The rabbit could have rabies,’ Lily replied, starting to grind her teeth in frustration.

‘I highly doubt that they would give us rabid animals to transfigure.’

 ‘That’s the thing, though. What if it was a wild rabbit?’

‘But why would you be transfiguring a rabbit into a pot plant in the wild in the first place?’

‘Too much deep thinking for this time of night,’ Marley grumbled, not lifting her head off the library table, where she was presently in a state of half-sleeping.

‘Agreed,’ Kayla mumbled, reopening the canteen of coffee she had smuggled in with them. She took a big gulp of the still-hot liquid, and yawned.

The three of them were sitting in a secluded corner of the strangely silent library (usually you could hear a little noise), surrounded by bookshelves and star charts and allsorts.

‘We should probably head off in a bit,’ Lily said. ‘Madam Pince will be shooing everyone out soon.’

‘Finally,’ Marley mumbled, nudging her chair back a bit. ‘I want to go _sleeeep_.’

‘Why are _you_ tired?’ Lily asked her irritably. ‘You aren’t even doing any work!’

‘Does “Quidditch practice” ring a bell?’

‘Oh. Right.’

‘ _Yeah. Urghhh . . .’_

‘What’s the time?’ Kayla asked tiredly.

‘Dunno,’ came the response from the other two girls.

‘Let’s go,’ Marley muttered, eventually getting to her feet. ‘You have five seconds to get your stuff, then I’m blowing out the lamp.’

Lily and Kayla hurried to scrape their supplies into their bags, and as promised, Marley blew out the flame when she reached five, leaving them in almost complete darkness. ‘Come on.’

‘Why’s it so dark?’ Lily wondered, almost tripping over the corner of the table as they left.

‘Beats me,’ Marley replied. ‘But I wanna leave before the hawk chases us off.’

‘Fine by me,’ Kayla responded, and by the sound of it, she was screwing the cap on the canteen, and shoving it in her bag.

They left the hall of bookcases, and Lily realised something as she saw how darkened the rest of the colossal room was. ‘Crap! How late is it?’

‘I dunno,’ Marley responded again, stumbling over something. ‘ _Quite_ late, apparently.’

‘Why didn’t Pince send us out?’ Kayla asked.

‘Beats me,’ Lily said, starting to become alarmed, ‘but it’s obviously after curfew! We have to get back to the dormitory before we’re caught! We’ve only _just_ finished our last round of detentions.’ There was a dull thump as Kayla was reminded of this fact, followed by Marley’s indignant cry of pain. Lily, copying in her friend’s actions, also smacked Marley on the arm. ‘ _No thanks to you_.’

‘You didn’t _have_ to come looking for me,’ she protested weakly. ‘Goddamnit . . .’

‘But we did, and look where that got us,’ Lily replied flatly. ‘Come on. We’ve got to move.’

The three of them hesitantly stepped out into the dark corridor, looking around.

‘I can’t tell what’s what at night,’ Kayla muttered. Lily could see her squinting through the darkness, and at this, the redhead pulled out her wand and lit the tip.

‘ _Lumos_.’

‘Put it out,’ Marley replied. ‘Someone might see.’

Lily raised a solitary eyebrow that no one noticed. ‘How? A school this big, and you think they might see a tiny light?’

Marley made a show of clearing her throat, and when the air started whipping violently around, she was apparently flailing her arms about. ‘Eherm, in case you haven’t noticed, we have one mad and nutty You-Know-Who prowling around the place. Security might have been lax a couple of years back, but, well . . . yeah.’

Lily sighed, but put her wand away. Now the three of them were struggling to see through the dimness once more.

‘I think it’s this way,’ Marley muttered, starting off in a direction. Both Kayla and Lily, who hadn’t the faintest idea where to go, followed in suit.

Several long minutes passed, with them going both up and down flights of stairs, hoping that the next turn would bring them to the Fat Lady.

That didn’t happen. If anything, they were probably further away from the dormitory than they were originally.

‘Is this the _kitchens?_ ’ Lily wondered aloud when they found a familiar portrait faintly visible in the darkness. ‘Merlin, we’re nowhere _near_ the Tower.’

‘Bugger,’ Marley muttered. Suddenly her head shot up, and her ears were pricking like a dog’s. ‘ _Someone’s coming!’_

The three of them instinctively clustered together so they looked smaller and less visible that they actually were (Survival reflex. Don’t question it.), and slowly backed away from the quickly travelling footsteps.

And then they waited. The sound drew ever closer, but no form appeared. What then confused Lily was why something collided with them.

‘Oomph!’

The girls were bowled over, and judging by the sound of it, the same had happened to whatever hit them. Then just like that, the silhouettes of four boys were visible. ‘Oi!’

Lily’s eyes narrowed. ‘Potter! What are you _doing_ out here?’

James Potter got to his feet, gathering up some sort of silvery material and crossing his arms. ‘Could ask the same of you, Evans,’ he replied rather rudely.

‘We have a good excuse. A kitchen trip isn’t!’

‘Yeah, yeah. Shut your bloody gob, you cow.’

Lily stepped back a little, startled. Potter never generally spoke to her like _that_ , even if he was a prat.

‘You go back to the dormitory right now,’ she hissed, quickly regaining her composure.

‘Not happening,’ he responded levelly. ‘Padfoot’s having a peanut butter craving, and we aren’t leaving until it’s been sated.’ Sirius nodded rather eagerly beside him, and Lily directed her attention to the rest of the Marauders.

‘Come back to the Tower with us. In fact, you can show us the way.’ She gave Remus an imploring glance after that, and he shrugged a little, looking at James and Sirius with an unsure expression on his face. Peter seemed to have gone comatose at the mention of “peanut butter”, and thus there was no use in attempting to reason with him. But she could get him to come out of fairy-land, all the same.

‘Oi, you!’ She smacked the little blonde boy around the head, and he snapped to attention, immediately quailing under her angry look.

‘I’m not in charge, Lily,’ he told her timidly. ‘I just want peanut butter.’ He threw his hands up over his face when her jaw twitched, and shrieked in a hoarse whisper, ‘Please don’t hex me!’

Lily sighed, and shook her head resignedly. ‘Don’t worry about it, Pete. You,’ she said, pointing a finger so it was almost touching the tip of Potter’s nose, ‘are coming back with us. All of us. And I don’t care what you have to say – I am clearly the mature one in this situation, and am thus taking control. At least _I’ll_ be able to get us out of trouble.’

Kayla cleared her throat from behind her, and Remus was clearly trying his best not to look offended. Marley had just wandered over to Sirius’ side, apparently all for the peanut butter mission, and not listening to a word Lily was saying.

‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ Potter snapped, grabbing her roughly by the wrist and pushing her hand away. ‘Jesus!’

Lily yanked her hand out of his grip and glared at him, fuming. His change in attitude toward her was unnerving, and she honestly hated it more than his arrogance. ‘Go snog your girlfriend, Potter. Spare me the trouble of having to cover for you.’

‘I’ll do that,’ he shot back, ‘after this. Since I actually _have_ someone to snog who’ll look at me twice.’

If possible, Lily’s glare became even bigger. ‘ _What_ are you implying?’

He gave her a hard look. ‘Like you don’t know. The fact that you’re actually talking to me is a _miracle_ , really -’

‘Shut up!’ Kayla suddenly hissed, cutting between the two. ‘Someone’s coming!’

‘Filch,’ Remus guessed. ‘C’mon, run!’

The seven of them piled into the nearest room, which happened to be the kitchens.

‘He’s going to come in here, isn’t he?’ Peter whispered mournfully.

‘Yup,’ Marley agreed immediately. ‘Into the freezer, kiddos.’

‘ _What?_ ’

Despite several outbursts all at once, Marley ignored them and shepherded everyone into the deep freezer.

‘It’s cold in there!’ Lily protested.

‘And our best chance of survival,’ Kayla replied, seemingly agreeing with Marley’s plan. ‘If we don’t stay in there long.’

And thus, they were shut into the freezing darkness. Instead of keeping quiet however, the boys started rummaging around the icy food, trying to scrounge whatever consumables they felt like.

‘Oi, someone give us a light would you?’ Sirius asked after a minute. With a bit of a grumble, Marley lit the tip of her wand. Seconds later, there was a little squeal of delight – from Sirius, no less.

‘Hey, they freeze Nutella in here! By the _barrel!_ ’

‘What’s Nutella?’ Marley wondered, walking over. ‘And why does it come in barrels?’

‘It doesn’t,’ Lily told her, rubbing her shivering arms and joining them. ‘It comes in jars. How do you know about Nutella?’ she continued, looking at Sirius.

He grinned, but was evidently more focused on trying to prise the lid off the barrel. ‘Muggle Studies. Oi, Prongs, gimme a hand.’

‘It will be _frozen_ , Sirius,’ Kayla told him with a resigned sigh.

‘Nutella?’ There was a collective groan as Peter suddenly realised what they were talking about, and came over to properly join the group. ‘I want Nutella!’

‘Shh!’ Lily hissed, pressing her ear up against the freezing steel door. ‘Filch will hear us!’

Indeed, she could hear commotion outside of their hiding place, like someone was shifting chairs to look beneath benches for them. The entire group went quiet, yet Sirius continued to try and prise the barrel open.

‘Hey, look, here’s some peanut butter!’ Potter whispered, pointing to another large barrel. Lily put her finger to her lips, glaring at him. He glared right back, before starting to open it.

She didn’t know how long she spent listening up against that door, but it felt like half an hour at least. Once the euphoria of being shut in with frozen food had worn off, everyone slowly began to sit down, stiff, blue and shivering. Trembling just as violently, Lily continued to listen as Filch (was it even _him?_ None of them were actually certain) prowled around the room, trying to source them out. Obviously he thought they weren’t stupid enough to lock themselves in the freezer.

‘No one knows any warming charms?’ Kayla asked hopelessly after a while. She, Marley and the boys had all clustered together in an attempt to conserve body heat, but Lily was still sitting on her own, colder than the rest of them.

With chattering teeth, they all shook their heads. Another long period of silence passed after that.

 _Pigs_ , Lily thought bitterly. _Those boys can conjure up giant flying pigs, and make pumpkins explode at the age of eleven, but they never contemplated any warming charms?_

Oh well. Now wasn’t really the time.

With a sigh, she continued to wait.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Filch left. Lily took a moment to confirm he wasn’t coming back, before pushing open the heavy door and letting out a cry of relief as she stepped into the warm air.

The others quickly followed, also letting out similar exclamations.

‘We are n-never doing that ag-gain,’ Marley said firmly, before making a small noise of pain as her violently trembling jaw caused her to bite her tongue.

‘L-let’s just go,’ Remus said feebly.

‘U-under the C-Cloak, guys,’ Potter said, pulling out the silvery thing.

Lily frowned, putting two and two together in her mind. ‘Is that an _I-Invisib-bility Cloak?_ ’

Potter shrugged offhandedly. ‘W-well, yeah. But d-don’t tell anyone, E-Evans. Now l-let’s go.’

Lily wanted to protest – and raise all of the objections she had with Potter owning such a cloak, but she was cut short.

‘No.’ Sirius raised a shaking finger and pointed back at the freezer. ‘Peanut butter first. And Nutella.’

‘Y-yes,’ Marley agreed. ‘I w-want some t-t-too.’

So, with that, they levitated a barrel each of both spreads, all four of which were frosted and covered in little icicles.

‘C-come on.’

‘T-the ice’ll m-melt,’ Lily protested. ‘T-there will be a wat-ter trail, and they’ll kn-know who took it.’

Lily was greeted by unimpressed stares, and was henceforth tasked with siphoning away the water trails from beneath the crowded Cloak all the way up to the Tower. And after being subjected to that, she swore she was never studying late in the Library ever again.


	58. Year 4 - A Debacle Or Two

**_ 58 – A Debacle or Two _ **

** Marlene **

‘Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi.’

Kayla didn’t even respond. She continued her ridiculously good sketch of the sorceress Morgana from the textbook, on the edge of her notes. Marley tickled the tip of her nose with her quill, expecting her to sneeze.

She didn’t.

‘You’re so stodgy,’ she grumbled. ‘You and your bloody drawing . . .’

She looked across the room to where Lily was sleeping with her head on the table next to Snape. There was no chance of smoke-signalling _her_ , then.

She turned her attention back to Kayla, and snatched up the brown-head’s bag, beginning to rummage through it.

‘Parchment . . . parchment . . . weird muggle quill . . .’ She drew out the plastic thing full of ink and stared scrutinisingly at it, wondering how the hell muggles had managed a feat like that when wizards hadn’t. After letting out a bit of a sigh, she shoved it back in and kept looking.

‘Arsch!’ She drew her hand back out almost immediately after slicing it on something sharp. ‘Shi-what _is_ that?’

The tool looked like a pair of shears with a plastic handle. And she had cut open her palm on it.

‘Buggering hell, Kayla,’ she muttered, looking around. ‘What do you _keep_ in here?’

Staunching the flow with her robes, she continued to poke through, not caring all that much.

‘Is this a . . . metal wand? No . . .’ It was a long, flat metal stick with markings and numbers up the side, going up to thirty.

‘It’s so flat,’ she noted. So, of course, she started poking Kayla with it. ‘Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi. What’s this? What’s this? What’s this?’

Kayla finally looked up, an expression of slight frustration on her face. ‘What?’

Marley held up the stick, and she sighed.

‘That’s a _ruler_ , Marley.’

‘What do you need it for?’

‘To draw straight lines.’

‘. . . Oh.’ She held up the sharp object. ‘And this?’

‘Scissors. You use them to cut things.’

‘So I found out,’ Marley replied dryly.

An exasperated little smile pulled at the corners of Kayla’s mouth. ‘What did you do _now?_ ’

She showed her the edge of her blood-soaked robes, which her hand was bundled up in.

‘Holy crap!’ Kayla shrieked, apparently forgetting they were in the middle of class. Everyone was in too deep a stupor to notice anyway – as was the routine in History of Magic. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ She snatched her hand and pulled it towards her, uncovering it and getting her own covered in blood. ‘Merlin, Marley!’

‘It’s just a cut,’ Marley replied offhandedly. Kayla shot her a look that said her take on this matter was ludicrous.

‘ _Just a cut!’_ she shrieked in a hoarse whisper. ‘Look how bloody _deep_ this is! And long! This stretches across your entire hand! _Just a cut, my ars-_ ’

‘Miss Edmund, if you are finished with your conversation, I would like to move on with the lesson,’ Professor Binns droned tiredly. Both Kayla and Marley looked at him in shock. Since when did _Binns_ ever acknowledge the students in his class?

‘Erm, Professor,’ Kayla started, immediately shrinking back into her seat when all of the physically conscious students turned to look at her. ‘Can I please take Marley to the Hospital Wing? She’s sort of . . . maimed herself.’

‘Hmm?’ Binns looked up tiredly from his notes, which he had just been preparing to read from once more. ‘Oh, yes, very well . . .’

Kayla got to her feet and hauled Marley to the door, making sure that no blood splattered the stone floor. Lily shot them a confused look from across the room, and Marley made a point of waving her butchered hand at her. Lily blanched the second she saw all of the blood still gushing from the wound, and looked at them with a most appalled expression on her face.

Kayla started dragging Marley out the door, but just before she did, she paused in the doorframe. ‘Oh, and Professor? It’s _Edwards_.’

* * *

 

‘You are such a sod. A confoundedly _stupid_ sod.’

Marley grinned at her, not even wincing as Madam Pomfrey bustled about, and dabbing an antiseptic on her cut that stung like a –

‘Schhhk!’ Okay, now she was wincing. But only slightly. ‘Geez, Poms,’ she cried. ‘Is that painful enough for you?’

Madam Pomfrey shot her a disapproving look, and scolded her a little for her informal address (‘I am a member of _staff,_ Miss McKinnon; you shall treat me with _respect_.’) before marching off to collect some bandaging. However, somehow she had managed to stop the rapid blood flow, so Marley was going to give her that.  She looked at Kayla. ‘Hey, you’re adopting my vocabulary.’

Kayla snorted. ‘What, “sod”? Sure.’

Marley grinned at her. ‘Aww, c’mon, Kaye-Kaye. _I’m rubbin’ off on you._ ’ She added the second part in a sing-song voice, thus triggering a reluctant smile from the other girl.

They were interrupted by the loud crash of Lily bursting into the ward, looking shocked. ‘ _What happened?’_ she cried, sounding more than a little panicked. ‘How much blood?’

‘Mmm, ‘bout a cup’s worth,’ Marley replied, and Lily looked sickened. The redhead strode across the room and sat herself on the bed on Marley’s other side.

‘You are a sod,’ she said firmly.

Marley grinned, and shot Kayla a look that conveyed only the tiniest fraction of her glee. Kayla rolled her eyes back at her, and got to her feet.

‘We’ve got Charms next. _I’ll_ go ahead and tell Flitwick where you two goons are.’

Marley gave her a salute, and Lily didn’t even notice, as she was too busy fretting over the injury the other girl was sporting.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘. . . And because this is such a complex charm, I will be sorting you into pairs. I would let you choose your own, however I feel that some of us would not make the right decision.’ Professor Flitwick sent a pointed look in James and Sirius’ direction, and the two of them grinned guiltily.

‘Aww, come on, Professor,’ Sirius whined, waving his arms around. ‘You know we’re complete angels!’

‘Oh, yes. Certainly,’ Flitwick replied, not really listening, as he was now bustling around the room and distributing cushions. ‘You are trying to get these into the box at the end of the room. Now, Perkins, you can go with Pettigrew . . .’

Kayla fidgeted in her seat with her head bowed low over her book, internally crossing her fingers and hoping she was paired up with Remus. She looked over at her best friend through her eyelashes, and felt butterflies explode in her stomach when she saw he was looking right back at her, despite crossing the room to collect a pillow at the same time. He grinned at her, and made a sort of gesturing motion which she read easily.

_We’ll go together, yeah?_

She nodded, raising her head a bit and trying to conceal the blush growing in her cheeks.

‘Lupin, you go with Winters, Edwards, you can work with Diggory.’

Kayla felt herself deflate a little in disappointment, but couldn’t help stifling a laugh when Remus asked awkwardly, ‘Erm, sir, _which_ Winters?’ Sometimes it was really inconvenient that Claire and Imogen had the same last name.

Flitwick gestured in Imogen’s direction, and Remus shuffled off just as Amos Diggory dumped his possessions on the table beside Kayla.

‘Hey, Kayla,’ he said. He then flashed a grin. ‘Let’s . . . do stuff, yeah?’

‘Erm . . . okay,’ Kayla mumbled, already making plans for her head to disappear into the neck of her robes. ‘Sure.’

‘I’ll go get the pillow.’

‘. . . You do that . . .’

She felt a grim, sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched his perfect Quidditch body walk away, and made a funny facial expression. Stupid Quidditch players. Why were they all so . . . buff? It was a sport played on a _broomstick_ , for Merlin’s sake! It didn’t really have any fitness pre-requisites.

Soon enough, he slid back into the seat beside her and grinned again.

‘I’m sure you know how to do this?’ he posed. ‘You know, being you, a genius and all.’

Kayla blinked at him. There was something in that grin of his that was making her uncomfortable . . . ‘Okay?’

‘Maybe you could go first.’

‘O . . . kay?’

She pointed at the pillow, sitting on the table top not all that far away, and said, ‘Accio pillow!’

It jiggled a bit, before reluctantly flopping its way along the surface of the table towards her.

She flushed a little. ‘Uhm, that was a start . . .’

‘Better than me,’ he told her.

‘Alright, then.’

And the lesson passed like that. Kayla would keep on performing the charm, and every single time Amos would complement her, throwing her one of those grins. It was a bit unnerving, actually. How could someone have teeth that white? Honestly, it was distracting her . . .

Maybe it was just because he was a guy, but not one of her friends. Yeah, that was probably it. Damn it, she didn’t understand human psychology enough to tell. But she was starting to question him just a _little_ bit when it reached the point in time just like all of the romance books where there would be hands-on interaction.

‘Ah, bugger!’ she cried, as she accidentally turned her pillow into a Chihuahua. ‘Eesh!’ If anything, her ability to perform this charm was getting worse and worse each time. The little dog yipped at her and scampered around on the table until her partner, with his Colgate smile, just grinned at her, laughed in a way she supposed was a _little_ attractive, and transfigured it back into a pillow.

She pulled a face at him. ‘What if I wanted to keep that?’

He shook his head. ‘It would have turned back shortly, anyway.’ He grinned again. ‘A great Chihuahua though, I must say.’

‘Don’t compliment my dog,’ she muttered.

He laughed, then said, ‘Come here.’

_Come here._

What?

‘I’ll help you,’ he offered.

_Red alert, red alert . . ._

He reached out his hand until it was clasped firmly over hers, and started guiding it in the correct motion to perform the charm. Then he moved over a bit so he was standing right behind her, their faces right next to each other.

_Oh god . . ._

‘Accio pillow!’

The pillow shot at them like a rocket and smacked Kayla in the face. Amos laughed and started apologising, taking the pillow from her and patting her on the back, all friendly-like.

‘I guess that overshot, huh?’ he said. ‘Oh well.’

Now Flitwick was walking around the class, telling them to pack up so they could leave. Kayla honestly couldn’t have been happier to comply with that direction, and began cramming all of her possessions into her bag. The class started clearing out, but she was busy.

And then it was just her in an empty classroom.

Well, an _almost_ empty classroom.

A pair of hands appeared out of nowhere and helped her put the last of her parchment in her bag.

‘I think you’re improving,’ Amos told her, looking right at her. Kayla blinked, and carefully got to her feet, trying to avoid doing the same.

‘No I’m not,’ she replied. ‘Does “Chihuahua” ring a bell?’

‘Apart from that,’ he agreed, taking her by the hand and helping her properly get her footing.

He didn’t let go.

So now the two of them were standing there in the empty classroom, _holding hands_.

‘There’s a Hogsmeade trip on the weekend,’ he commented. ‘You going with anyone?’

Kayla immediately began to stutter. ‘I – well – I don’t -’

‘Actually, I’ll rephrase that. Would you like to go with me?’

‘I . . .’ She paused for a long moment, wondering _what the hell to do_ without offending him in any way. ‘I, uh, I’ll think about it. I might have plans, that’s all . . .’

‘Those plans might be changeable,’ he replied.

His face was _way_ too close.

And it kept getting closer.

_Holycraphewasgoingtokissher._

Kayla immediately began to panic. What should she do? She _did not like this guy!_

But, apparently fate was on her side today. Despite that she tried to lean away, just as his lips brushed hers, someone loudly cleared their throat in the doorway. Amos spun around, and Kayla had to refrain from letting out a huge cry of relief.

‘Lupin,’ Amos said.

Remus was standing in the doorway, stony-faced. ‘Amos,’ he replied. ‘I hope you’re not holding Kayla up. She’s a busy girl, you know.’

Kayla practically shot across the room to his side, _so relieved_ that he had come. And the best bit was that she didn’t have to say anything as Remus escorted her from the classroom.

The two of them walked awkwardly down the empty corridor in silence.

‘He just . . . kissed you . . .’ Remus said finally, looking a little green.

‘Tried,’ Kayla responded immediately. The course of events was finally starting to catch up to her, and she began to panic again. Already she could feel herself starting to get light-headed. ‘Oh my god.’

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

She shook her head.

‘Do you want to . . . ?’

‘Let’s go to the dorm,’ she said. ‘I’ve had enough of people.’

At least in the dormitories she could cry without being seen.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Oh my _god_ , I’m not buff enough,’ Sirius moaned, all but tossing himself on top of Marley as she lounged on one of the common room couches, reading a magazine. ‘Shower me in sympathy and loving comments of total adoration, Marley.’

‘That’s what your girlfriend’s for, Sirius,’ she replied offhandedly, thumbing over the page. ‘But hey, you’re pretty buff-looking to me.’

‘No I’m not!’ he moaned, sitting his chin on her collarbone, and looking right at her miserably. ‘I’m turning into Remus!’

‘Remus isn’t scrawny, he’s lanky. And apparently stuck in the Hospital Wing with a fever. Lily’s gone to visit him.’ She gave Sirius a funny look and scolded him. ‘You should be a little nicer to your mate.’

‘Meh.’ He shrugged. Well, as much as one could shrug when they were flattening someone.

She sighed and shook her head, still reading. ‘I dunno, do something fitnessy.’

‘That I will. In fact, I’ve just had a resolution to do _push ups_.’ And he got off her.

She peered at him over the top of her magazine. ‘Really?’

‘Mmm hmm.’ And with that, he dropped to the floor and started doing reps. ‘One . . . two . . . three . . .’

‘Oh my god,’ she muttered. ‘Sirius Black, I think you might be suffering from an I’m-not-buff-enough complex.’ After a pause, she shrugged to herself. ‘Oh well. At least it’s not a god complex. At the moment, anyway.’ She flipped the magazine shut and gave him a pointed look, raising her voice a little so he would definitely hear. ‘ _I mean, it’s not like you’re_ always _sporting that god complex, eh?_ ’

He ignored her. Whether it was on purpose or not, she didn’t know, but she honestly didn’t care. So, she lightly got to her feet, and perched herself on his back when he came back up again, now reading once more. He didn’t even complain; in fact, he just kept going up and down, up and down.

‘Seventeen . . . eighteen . . . nineteen . . . tw . . . twenty . . .’

‘Good job, Superman,’ Marley told him, despite the fact that she was halfway through reading an article about the Charmed Witches breaking up after nearly fifteen years of being in the music industry. It was a pretty good story, actually. Apparently there was a bit of drama involved. And heck, Marley _loved_ drama.

‘What’s . . . Super . . . man . . . ?’ he grunted, after a good five seconds of contemplation.

She shrugged. ‘Beats me. Ask Lily.’

‘Can’t,’ he told her. ‘She’s . . . with . . . Remus . . . thirty nine . . . forty . . .’

‘How are you still _going?_ ’ she asked incredulously. ‘They’re _push ups_ , for Merlin’s sake! I can’t do more than ten in a row! And you’re on _forty!_ ’

‘. . . forty three . . . forty four . . .’

‘You’re fitter than you give yourself credit for.’

‘. . . forty seven . . . forty eight . . .’

Bobbing around on someone’s back was actually quite therapeutic. A couple of by passers shot her funny looks, but hey, it must have looked odd. She was sitting on Sirius’ back, reading a magazine while he did push ups.

In fact, when you put it that way . . .

‘We must be the frikken _dream team_ of Gryffindor,’ she told him.

* * *

 

** Remus **

She was sitting on the end of his bed, a large block of Honeydukes best chocolate in her hand. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey,’ Remus mumbled in reply, not really absorbing exactly what was going on at the moment. All he could remember was intending to go punch Amos in the face, before starting to feel incredibly sick, just like he always did before the full moon. So he had detoured to the Hospital Wing, and promptly fainted.

He still had to go punch him, though.

She passed him the chocolate. ‘Here.’

‘That for me?’

She grinned a little. ‘Well, yeah. It’ll help with the recovery. Apparently chocolate is quite good for that. Well . . .’ She faded off and pulled a funny face. ‘I wouldn’t know, honestly. I still can’t really stomach it.’

 _Stomach it_. Somehow, those two words brought Remus back to Earth, and he looked at her with an alarmed expression. Everything came crashing down inside him, and his panic levels immediately began to rise.

‘I – you – you’

‘It’s okay, Remus,’ Lily told him. ‘Really. I know.’

Still, he continued to choke. ‘You – last night – I’

‘Shh. Shh . . .’ She put a hand over his and gave him a reassuring little smile. ‘Don’t panic.’

He took a couple of long, deep breaths, and tried to steady his violently racing heart. ‘Oh my god . . .’

‘I . . . I’m not upset about it,’ she told him, looking at him anxiously. ‘I just wasn’t all that sure that you were going to be . . .’

Remus swallowed. ‘How . . . how did you find out?’

She shrugged a little. ‘Well, I’ve suspected something was off ever since first year, to be honest, but I wasn’t about to go poking into it. But this year, when we were working on star charts in Astronomy, I started to think. And, well, I just put it all together in my head last night, when you weren’t here. Your mates, and Kayla for that matter, well, they were all a bit antsy, to be honest. Though, I guess they’re like that every time,’ she added as an afterthought.

‘And . . . you’re not disgusted by me?’ he asked tentatively. Lily shot him a look of incredulity.

‘Disgusted?’ she cried. ‘Remus, this is something you can’t help. It’s an affliction. Why in Merlin’s name would I be disgusted by an _affliction?_ ’

‘Because I can kill,’ he responded immediately. ‘I’m a feral animal, Lily.’

She gave him a stern look. ‘You’re just a school boy who folds his socks, wears goddamned _sweater vests_ , and clearly fancies the sweetest girl in our grade.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Remus, you’re absolutely _terrifying_.’

He went a little pink at those observations, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Lily sighed, and leaned over to hug him.

‘Really, it’s fine. I’m a little put off that you didn’t actually tell me, but I see your reasoning.’

‘Does Marley know?’ Remus asked after a pause.

She shook her head. ‘Not that I’m aware of. But I don’t plan on telling her, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

He gave her a grateful look. ‘Thanks. Not that I have a problem with Marley or anything, but I’d rather . . . break it to her in my own time. If you know what I mean.’

‘No problem,’ she replied, sliding off the edge of the bed and getting to her feet. ‘You eat that chocolate and feel better, yeah? I’ll leave you now.’

And with a little wave, she walked out of the ward.


	59. Year 4 - Embarrassed Mess

**_ 59 – Embarrassed Mess _ **

** Remus **

Chaos quite promptly erupted when Amos Diggory collapsed in the middle of the corridor the next day with odd purple pustules covering his face. Remus just walked on past, suaveness radiating from every inch of him. Not enough to be conspicuous, of course, but he did carry himself with a satisfied air.

Kayla yanked on his shirt sleeve and frowned up at him (the growth spurt he’d had over the last few weeks had been surprising – he went from being the shortest Marauder to the tallest _just like that_ ), clearly unaware that her face expression alone made her look ridiculously adorable. Immediately Remus went from a casual swagger to being bright red in the face.

‘Did you really have to do that?’ she prodded. ‘I mean, hexing in the corridors _really_ isn’t allowed, Rem. And . . . why are you red?’

‘No reason,’ he replied immediately. He went straight on to answering her original question. ‘And he was flirting with you again. I’ve appointed myself your bodyguard.’

She sighed, but a tiny grin tugged at her lips all the same. ‘You’re fabulous. A fabulous _idiot_.’

 He made a hand gesture oddly reminiscent of Marley when she was struggling to get a point across. ‘Well, I was going to punch him, but that would draw attention to myself. Hexing him was a lot more . . . discrete.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘If anything, Remus, he scared the ever-loving life out of me more than he upset you.’

He absently rubbed his arm. ‘Right. Yeah. I keep forgetting that.’ He looked down at her, an apologetic look written all over his face. ‘Sorry.’

She smiled at him a little and bumped into his side. ‘S’alright. At least it’s not like you have to defend me or anything. Like, oh, I don’t know . . .’ She trailed off, evidently trying to find words that suited what she was feeling. Remus decided to give her the time to think, and answered the observation she had just made.

‘If he’d gone around spreading the story, I actually would be,’ he told her, with a little scowl at the thought. ‘Thank Merlin he didn’t _actually_ snog you.’

‘What would have done if he had?’ she prodded curiously, with the tiniest bit of humour at the edge of her voice. ‘Tossed him off the Astronomy tower? That’s honestly more of a Sirius thing, don’t you think?’

Remus shrugged in response, and she kept talking. ‘I think you embarrassed him. Barging in like that. I’m relieved you did, don’t get me wrong – I’m just being . . . observant. I probably wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it if you hadn’t turned up. I mean, he’s so much bigger than me . . .’

‘Don’t think about it,’ he said. ‘I won’t let that tosser near you with a ten foot pole ever again.’

‘Thanks. You’re great, Rem.’

‘I suppose I am,’ he agreed, grinning a little.

The two of them turned onto the seventh floor corridor and went through the portrait hole, where they were immediately greeted by an overly enthusiastic Chance, who, apparently, was waiting for Kayla to come back and feed him. In fact, he seemed to be so hungry that he didn’t even stop to hiss at Remus, as was the usual routine.

‘I’ll go feed him, then we can do homework, yeah?’ Kayla suggested. At Remus’ slightly awkward-looking nod, she gave a small frown, but disappeared up the staircase all the same. Remus dumped his bag on the couch and sighed.

Merlin, he was hopeless. And he really was going to have to do something about it soon. It really didn’t help his dignity if he was always reduced to an embarrassed mess around a _girl_. And she clearly thought it was odd.  That _he_ was odd.

Oh wow.

But he couldn’t help it, honestly.

With a heavy sigh, he flopped down beside his bag and started poring over his Transfiguration textbook, looking for answers to the homework they had been set earlier that day.

Kayla came back down shortly after and joined him, sitting close enough that their arms brushed slightly. Remus felt his face heat up again and immediately buried it in his book. She frowned at him for a second time, but didn’t comment.

_Merlin._

* * *

 

** Kayla **

It bothered her, honestly. She had been noticing it more than usual lately, but she supposed it had started around the end of third year. Kayla didn’t like it when Remus behaved strangely. She couldn’t read his expression (it wasn’t like she had been able to in the first place, but that was beside the point), nor could she work out any of his mannerisms. And it bloody well _confused_ her.

And it didn’t help that she went absolutely pathetic whenever he looked at her. Damn it, she was better off spending her time with her cat – and that seemed like a pretty good option to her.

She picked up the said cat as he started brushing up against her ankles, and plopped him on her lap, scratching him behind the ears absentmindedly while he purred in content. Remus watched him suspiciously, as though already expecting to be mauled in a flurry of teeth and claws, before looking up slightly and meeting Kayla’s eyes. He reacted like he had been shocked, and instantly looked back down at his homework, but evidently not focused.

Not only was it un-Remus-like, but it had been going on for too long. Kayla sighed and scuffed her feet, flipping through her textbook to answer questions on a series of charms.

 _Explain, in 200 words or more, what is required for the process mentioned above to work_.

What was required? They needed to figure things out, _that’s_ what was required.

Kayla needed to find out what was going on.

She needed to fix whatever the problem was.

She needed to get over this damned crush before she ruined her friendship with her stupidity – because she _knew_ she was going to do it eventually. That, or she could make something happen.

But she definitely didn’t have the guts to do that.

She didn’t have the guts to do much in life. It was always Remus doing everything, and even then he wasn’t the most outgoing bloke.

To _make it work_ , she had to stop thinking it all over in her head in a million different scenarios, and actually _do something_. Otherwise nothing was going to happen. Whatever his problem was, Remus clearly wasn’t doing anything about it, and now it was up to her.

So she had to _get_ the guts, _that’s what was required_. And she’d be damned if she didn’t.

Because she was getting sick of hiding in a hole.

She was sick of social anxiety.

She was sick of getting punted around like a hockey puck that never responded by her classmates – if she got called “mudblood” _one more time_ , she was going to –

And hey, there was her two hundred words.

But that didn’t bring her any closer to figuring out what she was going to do with herself.

 _Stop thinking!_ she told herself. _Get off your backside and_ do something _, woman!_

Strangely enough, that voice sounded an awful lot like Marley. And Marley always spoke words of wisdom in times like these, with plenty of cussing and contracted words tossed in the middle.

So she was going to listen to her. Even if she was just a Marley-in-her-head.

She finally looked up at Remus, steely determination building like a fire inside of her. Their feet brushed, and _whup, there went her stomach._

Take two.

She looked away for a couple of seconds, recollecting her breath, before focusing on her task.

‘Okay, _what’s wrong?_ ’

Remus jumped like he’d been zapped, before reluctantly meeting her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’

She waved her hands about. ‘Something is, clearly. So tell me. What’s been bothering you?’

‘Why do you think that?’

She paused, before speaking. ‘I honestly don’t know where we stand at the moment. I don’t know what’s going on myself, and . . . and . . .’

‘And what?’ He wasn’t turning away.

‘And, well, you’re acting weird, and . . .’ The sentence died on Kayla’s lips. Remus was looking at her with such intensity that she couldn’t speak. She just swallowed lightly and tried to continue.

‘It’s just, I don’t get it. I know everything there is to know about you, so this . . . why?’

‘I’m not exactly thinking rationally right now, Kaye,’ Remus said quietly, closing his eyes. ‘Not in the slightest.’

‘W-what do you mean?’

‘I . . .’ He bowed his head in defeat. ‘I can’t.’

She was starting to grow impatient. ‘You can’t _what?_ ’

He didn’t reply, but instead looked back up at her again, green piercing hazel. Kayla fidgeted, her heart slamming violently against her ribcage. Damn him and his perfect eyes. They were distracting her.

‘At least tell me why you’re being strange,’ she said finally. Remus bit his lip.

‘What if I can’t put it into words?’

Kayla rolled her eyes, wringing her hands in her lap. ‘You’re the Shakespearean here. You could say poetic stuff about anything.’

‘Yeah, but this . . .’ His eyes drifted downwards, and whether he was looking at her nose or mouth, she didn’t know. ‘It’s too difficult.’ He looked away again.

‘Remus Lupin,’ Kayla said. ‘ _Nothing_ is too difficult for you. You could write all of your mates’ essays, go on a manic kitchen raid, have an hour long conversation with me, and still have time to . . . knit hats with bobbles or something.’

He snorted, still looking somewhere near his feet. ‘ _Knit?_ Have you gone round the twist?’

‘That I might,’ Kayla said faintly. Her heart was jumping around so violently it might have been running a marathon, for all she knew.

There was a long pause. She broke it again. ‘Well?’

‘Well what?’ he asked stupidly.

‘What’s been going on?’ she pressed exasperatedly. ‘I really want to know, because it’s bugging me. Big time.’

‘Didn’t I just tell you? It’s too difficult to put into words!’

‘Then . . . let me know by some other means!’ She was reaching the end of her straw now, and was getting very close to going ballistic.

Remus’ head snapped up so suddenly that she was surprised. She barely had the time to register the resolution on his face before he had leaned over, grabbed her gently by the face, and kissed her.

Every train of thought in Kayla’s head had a massive pile-up then and there. All of her systems shut down, except for those telling her to respond. It took a short period of time – as in, one and a half seconds – to fling her arms around his neck and kiss him back. Her heartbeat had gone into overdrive, and all she could think was _ohMerlinohMerlinohMerlinohMerlin_ . . .

Then, all too soon, he broke away, looking just as shocked and wide-eyed as she felt. She had just managed to tune back in to hear him say, ‘I shouldn’t have done that,’ before he disappeared up the boys’ staircase.

If she weren’t completely stunned at that moment, her lips still tingling from the kiss, Kayla would have jumped up and squealed.


	60. Year 4 - Now I Know Where We Stand

**_ 60 – Now I Know Where We Stand _ **

** Kayla **

The world was spinning rather violently, and it took Kayla a good few seconds to realise she ought to do something.

‘Oi!’ she hollered, getting unsteadily to her feet. When did everything become so wobbly? ‘Hey! Come back!’

But Remus was long gone, having already shot up the stairs. So she ran after him, leaving the thankfully empty common room behind her.

‘Remus!’

_Oh my God he kissed me he kissed me he kissed me what the hell does that mean he kissed me oh Merlin . . ._

_‘Remus!_ ’

She reached the boys’ dormitory to find James and Sirius standing on either side of the door, arms crossed and clearly trying to look unpassable.

‘Is he in there?’ she asked. Sirius stuck his hand out and stopped her when she made to open the door.

‘Sorry, Shortie,’ he said. ‘But strictly no access for short people.’

There was a tap on Kayla’s shoulder, and Peter hurried past her with a small, ‘S’cuse me.’ Kayla looked down at him as he went by, a feeling of resignation building in her chest.

‘Oh my _god_ ,’ she muttered exasperatedly. ‘Is he _actually_ getting you to stand guard?’

‘We’re _important_ ,’ James said, like he had been running the term over with nothing short of extreme pride in his head for the last thirty seconds since _it_ had happened.

‘Important enough to let me in?’ Kayla prodded, trying to look as menacing as possible considering she was a good inch or two shorter than them. ‘ _Hmm?_ ’

‘He told us he screwed up majorly, and were to under _no circumstances_ let him near you with a ten foot pole,’ Sirius replied. ‘He was very specific on the pole’s length.’

‘Oh, I wonder _why_ ,’ Kayla grumbled sarcastically. ‘Let me in! I need to talk to him.’

‘Nah. We’re closed, sorry. Come back for a snog later.’ The tone was joking, but it had an effect all the same.

Kayla slowly went very red, and after a good ten seconds of complete silence, Sirius’ eyes bugged out of his head.

‘Did he – did you actually - ?’

‘Figure that one out for yourself!’ she snapped. ‘You know, since you’re so knowledgeable!’ She glared at them, before pivoting on her heel and stalking down the stairs.

Once back in the common room, she cast a final scowl at all of their books still sitting there, grabbing Chance, who had been curled up on the back of the couch, before running back up the girls’ staircase, barging into their dormitory, ignoring the surprised cries from Lily, Marley, and _Imogen_ for some reason, and barricading herself within the safety of her four-poster curtains.

Then she started to cry.

* * *

 

** James **

The second Kayla was gone, both James and Sirius whirled around and burst into the room they had just been guarding.

‘Moony!’

‘What did you _do?_ ’

Peter, who had been previously trying to console the prone figure curled up in a ball on Remus’ bed, shifted over slightly so the other boys could bombard him.

‘Did you _snog_ her?’

‘What do you _think?_ ’ Remus mumbled, his voice getting lost somewhere between his knees. ‘I’ve bloody well messed everything up!’

James however, started to grin. ‘Ha! Moony couldn’t keep his mouth to himself! And you lot are sodding on _me_ for kissing Claire! _Ha!_ ’

‘ _Merlin,’_ Remus groaned. ‘James, I have just _scared off_ one of my _best friends!_ This isn’t funny!’

‘You’ll be _fine_ ,’ James assured him. ‘She likes you. Heck, she just spent the last couple of minutes trying to force us away from the door.’

‘I know,’ Remus muttered. ‘I heard.’

There was a long pause, as everyone came to a universal realisation regarding the situation.

‘Uh oh,’ Sirius muttered. ‘We don’t know _what to do_.’

Four sets of identically panicked eyes all looked up at once, and instantly chaos broke loose.

‘Find the book!’ James cried, leaping to his feet. ‘We are in desperate need of its wisdom!’

‘Where _is_ the book?’ Sirius shouted back. ‘It’s been lost for ages!’

‘I dunno, try looking in Wormtail’s knickers!’

Funnily enough, that’s where they found it.

‘I don’t know why it was in there!’ Peter wailed. ‘It’s not even _my_ book!’

‘Shut up,’ James said immediately. ‘I am consulting the Tome of Greatness.’

Peter clamped his jaw shut, and he, Sirius and James huddled around the pages of the notebook. Remus watched on glumly.

‘I don’t think Marley took spontaneous snog-attacks into account when she wrote this,’ James muttered feverishly, flipping through the pages. ‘All this seems to cover is the female psychology.’

‘How does that help?’ Sirius asked, distressed. ‘Marley is nuts!’

James slammed _Dating 101: An Idiot’s Guide To Girls_ shut, and dumped it down on the bed. ‘Well. Erm, let’s think this over before we do anything rash, lads.’

Sirius snorted. ‘Moony’s already done that.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

Kayla hadn’t told her friends a single thing. Mainly because both Claire and Imogen had been in the room when she had arrived in her frenzy, thus restricting gossip sessions. Yet, when she was able to, she just hadn’t been bothered. She had brushed it off as a spontaneous outburst, and left it at that.

Neither Lily nor Marley knew any better.

Saturday passed, and Kayla saw hide nor hair of Remus. She brushed it off, letting the guy have a bit of space. Come Sunday morning, she started to get a little antsy. Come on – he had been up there for more than twenty four hours, and she knew that because of Sirius and James. It wasn’t healthy.

Sunday afternoon, she cracked.

‘Remus Lupin, you are a stupid idiot who really hasn’t an ounce of common sense in his knowledge-ridden brain,’ she muttered heatedly under her breath, storming up the staircase at exactly six o’clock. ‘Now come talk to me so I can smack you around the head for been a buffoon, and maybe snog you. We’ll see how it turns out.’

With that, she threw open the door to the boys’ dormitory, triggering a lot of screaming and crashing.

Maybe it was the fact that she was looking particularly murderous, standing in the doorway like she was, hair wild and eyes bright, that she honestly didn’t blame him for panicking.

Remus had promptly fallen off the edge of the bed at her entrance, dragging the bedside table with him, and smashing the lamp. He leapt to his feet in an instant, hightailing to the other end of the room.

Kayla stomped after him, having a rather good resemblance to what she imagined the Red Queen to be like.

‘REMUS LUPIN, YOU STUPID SOD, TALK TO ME _RIGHT_ NOW!’

‘I’m not here,’ came the feeble reply from the curtains. Kayla smacked her hand against her face and groaned.

‘Look, we really need to talk about this.’

‘Do we? I don’t think so.’

‘Shut up and get over here.’

There was a long pause, but after a while, the curtains parted, and a sleep-deprived Remus tentatively made his way over to her.

‘You’re such an idiot,’ she said with a sigh, shaking her head a little.

‘I know,’ he mumbled in response. ‘Figured that out on Friday.’

She crossed her arms and gave him an evaluating look. ‘So, what’s the go here? Do you like me, or . . . ? Because I really need this spelled out for me. I’m not all that flash in terms of reading people.’

‘I really shouldn’t have done that,’ he muttered. ‘I mean, after Amos, that was the stupidest bloody thing I could have done . . .’

‘And what makes you think that?’ she asked, looking at him scrutinisingly. ‘How exactly was it stupid? I mean, in my opinion, running away from me was “stupid”.’

He shrugged and mumbled something incoherent, before jumping violently when she stepped forward, and vaulting up on the bed.

‘Ten foot pole . . .’ he muttered. ‘. . . Ten foot pole . . .’

She gave him an unamused look, and he shuffled further away, clearly still terrified of her. She let out a long, heavy sigh through her teeth that lasted all of ten seconds, and he backed up yet again, now reaching the edge of the bed.

‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’ she prodded, and he just shrugged, looking somewhere near his feet, still looking completely aware of her exact position in the room.

‘Oh my god,’ she groaned. ‘I’m not Lily, and you’re not James. You’re not _supposed_ to be scared of me!’

‘James isn’t scared of her,’ Remus replied immediately.

‘I can tell that deep down, he’s _terrified_.’

‘Yeah, but . . . _I’m_ not “terrified”.’

She stepped forward suddenly, slamming her foot against the ground. ‘Ra!’

He shrieked and shot back across the room, this time well and truly skirting away.

Kayla immediately ran after him. ‘Get back here! You’re acting like a two year old, Remus!’

‘I know!’

Here was what happened afterward, in a nutshell. Remus never stopped running, leaping over trunks and bedframes like an athlete, and Kayla was stuck sprinting after him, still trying to figure out why he was fleeing in the first place.

This went on for what felt like a good five minutes. Finally, Kayla managed to stop him when he leapt up onto his bed for the fifth time, grabbing him securely by the wrist as she honestly couldn’t reach anything else.

‘Just – _stop._ ’

He immediately froze. Bending over and using her other hand, Kayla started stacking pillows by her feet, about a foot high. He looked confused, but she really didn’t care. Still not letting go of his wrist, she stepped up onto the pile, got her balance, slung her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

After that, things sort of slowed down. Remus stood there, prone, for a little while, and she had a flash of panic when she thought she might have entirely misread him – what if Friday _was_ an accident? Remus was a bit of a compulsive person, after all – but then he tentatively put a hand on the small of her back, bringing her closer.

Kissing was awfully hard to describe, and Kayla wasn’t all that keen on making it sound like the romance novels, so she just sort of . . . let it happen. Besides, if she started thinking about it like Marley did (out loud) the other day in the middle of the night, before starting a full conversation about it, she wasn’t sure if she could avoid being grossed out. Her friend had titled it “saliva-exchange”, and that _really_ wasn’t something she wanted to be contemplating when snogging a guy. Not to mention the guy she fancied _a lot_. So, yeah. She was thinking about it as “kissing”, and leaving it at that.

After what felt like forever (did summer just arrive? It was hard to tell when you weren’t really looking out the window), she broke away and felt the heaviest of blushes flood her cheeks. ‘Merlin.’

Remus was blinking as though coming out of a stupor. ‘D . . . did that just happen?’

She swallowed. ‘Yeah.’

He looked down, and Kayla felt her stomach sink. _Oh no_.

‘I -’

‘Mmm hmm.’

‘You -’

‘Mmm hmm.’

‘We -’

‘Mmm hmm.’

‘Oh my god.’

‘Yeah.’

He finally looked right at her, just as red as she felt. ‘I never thought you’d be that . . . forward.’ He blinked. ‘That’s new.’

‘Technically you did it first.’

‘Well . . .’ He shrugged a little. ‘I guess.’ He gave a bitter laugh. ‘I guess we’ve screwed things up majorly now, haven’t we?’

She bit her lip. ‘Only if you want to think of it that way.’

‘It depends, I guess. What are we now? Friends with benefits?’

She blanched. ‘No. My god, no.’

‘Then . . . ?’

Swallowing all of the fear she had left in her, Kayla grabbed him by the hand. ‘Be my boyfriend? Please?’ She paused, thinking that over. Manners never hurt, after all. Besides, it was sort of instinct. ‘Is that what they say? I honestly don’t know how teenagers phrase it these days.’

He laughed at the comment. ‘The “please” really helped.’ Then he seemed to go still as her initial question registered.

‘Once again,’ he said slowly, ‘you’re quite . . . up to it, at the moment.’ He seemed to be weighing something up in his brain. ‘It would be difficult. You know, with the  . . . werewolf factor.’

She gave him a flat look. ‘That wouldn’t change a thing.’

He scratched the back of his neck. ‘I . . .’

‘Remus, I’m not asking you to marry me or anything.’

He gave a short laugh. ‘True.’ He thought about it for a second longer, before saying, ‘Okay.’ He paused and gave her a look that reminded her _exactly_ why he was a member of the Marauders. ‘Only if you kiss me again, though. Since you’ve got _so much spunk_.’

She poked her tongue at him. ‘I’m feeling really brave at the moment, and am making the most of it while it lasts. Now shut up.’

Since she was sinking lower and lower into the pillows, she grabbed him by the face and brought him level with her.

* * *

 

** Lily **

Lily immediately jumped to conclusions when she saw two people emerge from the boys’ dormitory hand in hand that night. Instantly, she leapt up from her Transfiguration homework and shot across the room.

‘Please tell me that I’m assuming the right thing?’ she whispered, looking at Remus and Kayla expectantly. There was a long pause, plus an exchange of glances, before Remus nodded.

There was no covering up what her actual reaction had been in later retellings. Lily squealed – well and truly squealed, because honestly, she had been waiting for this since first year. Naturally, all above-the-crowd noisiness always drew attention from around the common room, and Kayla shrunk into her shoes when ten people looked at her for a brief second.

Lily grinned. Here they were, all embarrassed and bumbling and blushing heavily – it was adorable. She hadn’t thought either of them would have had the guts to bring up something like this, even when it was just the two of them, and Lily suddenly began to wonder just how it had transpired.

‘Okay, sit, now,’ she said, pointing to one of the couches by the fire. ‘I want to hear how this happened.

Of course, this resulted in more blushing, but eventually Lily got the story out – and answers to why Kayla had been so brassed off on Friday night. She really hadn’t been expecting so much shrieking to end in snogging.

Wow.

Eventually, Lily got up and left them to it, wandering off to Sirius to tell him the good news. She had actually been getting along with that particular Marauder more than usual lately, and they had begun to consider each other semi-friends.

Sirius and Peter were presently engaged in an intense battle of wizard’s chess, and since both of them were actually pretty stupid when it came to this, they were locked in a stalemate. Lily sat down beside Sirius and poked him in the arm.

‘Oi.’

‘Not now, Red, I’m tryin’a win somethin’ here,’ Sirius muttered, giving one of his bishops a jab. ‘Hey, move, you sod. Go somewhere that’ll let me win. I dunno, B7.’

The little chess piece grumbled and muttered profanities about Peter’s queen then being able to make a damaging move, before shuffling off to the appropriate square.

‘You’ll never believe what happened,’ Lily said. Sirius’ ears perked like a dog’s, and he spared her a sideways look of interest.

‘Oh?’

‘Remus and Kayla are a “thing”, now.’

Both of the boys’ eyes widened, and they looked at Lily in surprise.

‘No way,’ Sirius said, gobsmacked. ‘No bloody way!’

‘Yes way,’ Lily replied, grinning. ‘Look.’ She gestured back to the couch, where the two people of discussion were sitting quite a bit closer than “friends” normally did.

Sirius’ reaction was exactly the same as Lily’s. And no manlier, despite what one might expect.

‘Wormtail, go get the mirror and tell Prongs of Moony’s ascent to greatness,’ Sirius said looking at Peter, after he had finished squealing. ‘I think he’s still locked in the Quidditch showers.’

‘You locked him in?’ Peter asked, looking confused.

Sirius rolled his eyes. ‘ _No,_ the Sasquatch locked him in. Of course I did, you dolt! About two hours ago!’ Peter got up and hurried away, obviously now keen to rescue his mate from the depths of the grungy male locker room.

‘Doesn’t that idiot ever carry his _wand?_ ’ Lily asked, looking sceptical.

Sirius drew a long piece of wood from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers, looking at her. ‘You were saying?’

Lily snatched Potter’s wand from his hand and pocketed it for herself, internally swearing that he wouldn’t get it back until he begged her on hands and knees - because she honestly needed that sort of satisfaction sometimes, especially when she was having a bad day.

Sirius didn’t seem to care. In fact, he had just been distracted by Marley, who had just made a grand entrance down the girls’ staircase.

Lily used the term “grand” very lightly.

 _Thump_. ‘ARGH!’ _Thump_. ‘OW!’ _Thump_. ‘BUGGER!’ _Thump_. ‘ERGH!’ _THUMP_. ‘OH MY _BLOODY_ GOD!’

Cue one Marlene McKinnon, now a tangled mess at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Don’t worry,’ she called feebly, answering the confused looks a good portion of the room was giving her. ‘I . . . tripped.’

‘Apparently,’ Lily muttered, causing Sirius to snort with laughter.

Marley got to her feet and brushed herself off. Then she started making a beeline towards Lily and Sirius from across the room, walking straight past Remus and Kayla. The two of them had apparently just decided that no one was looking, and that it was okay to exchange the tiniest bit of PDA -  this being the briefest kiss. Apparently oblivious to it all, Marley had already gone straight past them when she paused, and turned slowly to take in the sight.

It was like someone had dropped a bomb then and there.

‘WHEN IN MERLIN’S _BLOODY_ NAME DID _THIS_ COME ABOUT?’

Marley, who looked more than a little shocked, actually slipped over as her legs gave way.

‘WHY DOES EVERYONE _ALWAYS_ HAVE TO LEAVE ME OUT OF THE LOOP?’

Sirius and Lily burst into raucous peals of laughter, all but clutching onto each other for support, while Remus and Kayla both flames equal shades of red. Marley was bug eyed, gaping at the two of them like a fish and pointing a shaky finger.

‘I – you – _what?_ ’

‘Alright, you lot,’ Lily laughed, getting to her feet and waving the lot of them over. ‘Congregation time. Marley needs to be filled in.’

So everyone clustered around the chess table, with the game long forgotten, and Marley was brought up to date.

‘Oh Merlin,’ Marley muttered, shaking her head and looking at Remus. ‘You are such a swot!’

Remus immediately leaned away a little. ‘I can back off if it bothers you.’

‘No, it’s okay, I guess,’ she replied , surveying him. ‘Just keep in mind that if you hurt her, you’ll lose your manly bits.’

Remus immediately took a step backwards. ‘Got it.’

She gave a nod. ‘Good.’

There was a long pause, before she beamed.

‘Right-o. All is awesome, then. Where’s James?’

‘With the Sasquatch,’ Sirius muttered. Both he and Lily started laughing again.


	61. Year 4 - Arrangements

**_ 61 – Arrangements _ **

** Remus **

Despite Marley’s rather loud outburst, no one really noticed that Remus and Kayla were together. Well, they probably did, but they just didn’t care. Who would, after all? It wasn’t like they were popular or anything.

And to be honest, Remus was glad it stayed that way. The last thing he needed was for some tosser to start ragging on him because he had a _girlfriend_ (and, apparently _that_ was so cringe worthy. Note the heavy sarcasm used there). The strangest thing that had happened regarding the situation so far was only Lily having to fork five galleons over to Marley because according to Kayla, they had placed bets on how soon they were going to be dating. It had legitimately taken Remus a full five minutes to properly comprehend that.

Nothing really changed in terms of friendships within the group. Marley still hung around the Marauders, however she took great delight at taking up a poker and threatening to stab Remus through the eyes whenever she could, until Kayla had to send her off to the dormitory with a block of chocolate until she forgot all about it. James and Lily still fought – aggressively. The boys continued to plot methods of getting Snape expelled, and even if they didn’t work, they’d still get satisfaction out of turning his hair bright pink. Peter and Sirius started up a Club-For-Nutella-Eaters-Only-And-No-James-You’re-Not-Allowed-Because-You’re-A-Pain-In-The-Arse. James expressed the indignity of being excluded from such a club for unjust reasons, and started campaigning against it. He even made custom badges and would hand them out between lessons. Remus had long since stuffed his in the top drawer of his bedside table, and pretended he had lost it. Both James and Sirius also continued to parade around with their girlfriends, displaying rather nauseating shows of affection in the corridors. Whenever Peter and Remus saw this, they both tended to turn on their heels and walking rather quickly in the other direction, denying all connections to their so called “friends”. Kayla and Remus were officially titled as “adorably nauseating” by Lily and Marley, despite the fact that they kept all public displays of affection to a bare minimum. Marley and Sirius still managed to get into the strangest of shenanigans together.

And honestly, life hadn’t been better.

Finally, Christmas arrived, and everyone was preparing to go home for the holidays. On the train ride back to the station, James, Sirius and Peter, all with identical grins, had shoved Remus and Kayla into the same compartment and jammed the door shut with a sticking charm before bolting off. Remus had tried to force the door open by every means he knew, but sadly, it couldn’t be budged.

‘Ugh,’ he muttered, flopping back in his seat with a dramatic grumble. ‘Those idiots had better let us out at some point.

Kayla grinned, rolling her eyes. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll hex them if they don’t.’

‘I know you will.’ He nudged her foot with his.

There was a long moment of silence as that tiny nudge turned into a full-out foot war, and were kicking at each other’s feet for the next five minutes. It didn’t end until Kayla kicked him sharply in the shin, and Remus called a truce.

‘Alright, you win,’ he said, laughing. ‘Ow, that hurt.’

‘Sorry, not sorry,’ she replied with a grin.

‘You’re so _violent_.’

‘Hark, who’s talking?’

‘Fine, you’ve got a point there.’

They lapsed into silence again, which Remus eventually broke.

‘So, what are you doing for the holidays?’

Kayla perked up at that. ‘Dan’s getting married,’ she said excitedly. When Remus raised his eyebrows, she added, ‘Didn’t I tell you?’

‘Nope.’

‘Well, he is, and guess who gets to be a bridesmaid? Me! I’m _so_ excited; I get to wear this really pretty dress, and I have an excuse to wear makeup – and I’ve worn makeup about three times in my life – and Alison – she’s his fiancée, by the way – sent me a picture of the hair, and oh _Merlin_ , it’s so pretty, and I can’t wait - ’

‘So I gathered,’ Remus quipped.

She cut off and gave him a little glare. ‘I was _talking_.’

He grinned. ‘I’m aware.’

There was a pause, then she snorted as though she had just understood a joke. Remus blinked.

‘What?’

‘I’m _aware_ ,’ she repeated. ‘Of _all_ the puns, Rem.’

It took a second, but when he finally processed it, he started laughing too. ‘I didn’t even realise . . .’

Chance, who had been sleeping on Kayla’s seat, finally woke up and stretched. They both watched him as he clambered lazily to his feet, then jumped to Remus’s seat.

He immediately moved to sit next to Kayla.

‘Don’t tell me you’re scared of the cat, now,’ she teased. ‘Gosh, you’re just like Sirius.’

‘Not scared, just cautious,’ he stressed. ‘You know what that thing’s like.’

‘Maybe he would respond to you better if you didn’t call him a “thing”.’

Remus poked his tongue at her.

She tutted in response, lacing their fingers. Remus complied all-too-happily, and she leaned on his shoulder.

‘Two whole weeks,’ she sighed dramatically. ‘Oh, what _ever_ shall I do without you?’

‘Don’t go into “Remus-Withdrawal”,’ he joked.

‘Oh no. We _can’t_ have that.’

‘I’ll owl you,’ he promised. ‘Every day.’

‘Think about the poor bird.’

‘Ah, he’s been through worse. And besides, we don’t live that far away.’

‘True.’ She looked up at him with that adorable little grin of hers, and he couldn’t help kissing her in response.

‘It’s a shame,’ he finally said. ‘You can’t convey that through a letter.’

She went slightly red and laughed, possible contemplating the strangeness of the idea. ‘That’s a new one.’

‘Yeah, I think we’ll leave it up to Marley to do the deep thinking with that one.’

‘Agreed.’

Overall, the trip was peaceful. When they finally pulled into King’s Cross station, they allowed themselves a couple more minutes of snogging before parting ways on the platform; Kayla seeing her mother for the first time since the blow up over the summer, and Remus meeting up with his own family, who were more than happy to see him.

* * *

 

** James **

‘Ohmigod, this _sucks_.’

Her words were barely audible, but James heard them all the same. He looked at Claire out of the corner of his eye, and a dry smile pulled on the edge of his mouth. ‘Really?’ he murmured back, as quiet as she had been. ‘I hadn’t noticed.’

Obviously, she hadn’t intended for him to hear that, and she blinked for a moment. Then she sighed and rolled her eyes, before pretending to pay attention to the conversation around the table. James, now grinning playfully, poked some of her exposed thigh that her skimpy black and pink dress revealed beneath the tabletop. She grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers, shooting him a mock-stern look. He was now incredibly close to bursting into laughter. It was something about her that was just so adorable. Merlin.

Her mother glared at the two of them from a few seats away, and Claire ducked her head, letting her hair fall to cover some of her face. Her grin broadened.

‘This is just so _boring_ ,’ she said in a low tone.

‘You do realise they’re discussing who they’re going to marry everyone off with, right?’ James replied quietly. ‘That’s the point of this whole dinner.’

She blinked. ‘But – I -’

‘You know,’ he said, ‘maybe we should officially let them know that we’re going to be off that list. Wanna go make out?’

She raised her head a little. ‘Sure.’

James pushed his chair back from the table, before getting to his feet and straightening the dress-tie his mother had forced him into. ‘If you’ll excuse us, might we have permission to leave?’

The conversation came to a stop, and a few of the adults nodded. His mother gave him a funny look that he couldn’t quite read. Claire’s mother pursed her lips. Mrs McKinnon gave him a sly, impish smile reminiscent of Marley. Walburga Black (James always had a habit of sourcing her out when in the same room, and envisioning her ideal death, like Sirius did on countless occasions) gave him her usual You-Stole-My-Son-Away-And-Inflicted-Your-Mudblood-Loving-Habits-On-Him glare. Sirius himself was staying at the Potter residence, keeping well away from said hag of a mother, and most likely accidentally setting fire to the kitchen. 

Not letting go of each other’s hands, the two of them left the room, before doubling around and listening at the door. Typically, because adults were terrible gossips, the conversation immediately turned to them.

Claire stifled a laugh, and James grinned at her, before crossing the landing of the Malfoy mansion (they were the family holding the event), and pushing open the window.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked.

‘You’ll see.’ He took out his wand, and said, ‘ _Accio_ _broom._ ’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Did you actually -’

‘Figured this was going to be dead boring,’ he replied easily. ‘Ha, here it comes.’

His Comet One Hundred had just shot out of a window a couple of stories below, and was now gliding up to them. It stopped at the window, and James climbed on, ignoring the cold weather. ‘Come on.’

She hesitated, before letting him help her, and wrapping her hands securely around his waist. She was already shivering, as it was pretty warm inside.

Once they were on the roof of the building, James gave her his coat. She gratefully shrugged it on, and he leaned into her a little bit for the extra warmth. It looked like it was going to start snowing soon.

Claire looked at him. ‘Guess what I’ve got.’

‘What?’

She pulled a bottle of Firewhiskey out of her little handbag with a smirk.

He grinned at her. ‘I _love_ you. Amazing, you are. Bloody amazing.

* * *

 

** Marley **

‘Get BACK here you little turds!’

To everyone else, all that was coming out of Marley’s mouth was a high-pitched ‘EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE!’

Not that there was anyone else, though.

Yes folks, Marlene McKinnon, of _all_ people, had been left at home to look after those two terrors that were supposedly her brothers.

_Fun._

However, she had decided she would rather be doing this than be off with James and just about every respectable pureblood attending the “event” at the Malfoys’. An event that scheduled arranged marriages, that was. Yeah, she wouldn’t be there if you paid her.

And for good reason. For all she knew, they could have tried to set her up with _Lucius Malfoy_.

Ugh.

Marley was going to take advantage of her freedom while she still had it, even if it meant babysitting. It wouldn’t have been a problem if they hadn’t learned to walk so bloody fast. They were already tearing around the place like absolute champions, and she honestly couldn’t comprehend how that had happened.

She _had_ protested initially. Complaining about her parents _to_ her parents was something she did quite well, if she was going to be honest. For example, her exact words that very morning when she was asked what she needed (after being told she had to watch the boys) were:

‘What do I need – I need _love_ , and _affection_ , and APPRECIATION GODDAMNIT!’

She had then proceeded to take a bag of frozen peas, a hollow stick of bamboo from one of the ornamental pot plants, and fire missiles at the garden gnomes.

Marley got no appreciation.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

Sirius was bored. He was just going to be outright and admit it. The Potter mansion was actually pretty boring if no one was home, and you hadn’t pre-planned anything to do in order to keep yourself entertained. At least it cheered him up to know that James was stuck at a stupid party.

He was going to do something about this newfound boredom. Marley didn’t live far from here; he had been to her place plenty of times. Surely it wouldn’t be a problem if he paid a visit.

If you hadn’t gathered, Sirius was one of those on-the-spot decision makers. Twenty seconds further in time plus a hastily scribbled note left on the kitchen bench found him appearing in the fireplace in the McKinnon residence, covered from head to toe in soot and already considerably happier. He _loved_ floo powder.

There was a heavy thumping sound as someone came sprinting from the other end of the house, and Marley skidded into the room, her eyes wide with alarm. When she saw it was Sirius however, she breathed a sigh of relief and slumped against the doorframe, crossing her arms.

‘Damn it,’ she muttered, ‘you can’t just turn up like that. Thought you were a Death Eater or something.’

‘Not anyone can turn up, though,’ Sirius commented. ‘I came through James’ fireplace.’

‘Oh. Okay.’ She made a funny gesturing motion which clearly meant _you’re covered in soot_.

She herself was wearing a pair of ankle-length grey cargo pants that rode low on her hips, and a pink singlet top that exposed the majority of her midriff. Shamelessly Sirius took in the view, since it was without a doubt that Marley had the best abs out of the girls in their year.

‘Alright, so whaddya want, loser?’ she asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows.

‘Love you too, Marls,’ Sirius responded dryly.

She clicked her fingers in front of his face. ‘Oi. My eyes are up here.’

‘I know.’

She sighed. ‘Unless you’re here to help me watch the kids, I’m just gonna toss you out.’

‘Somebody’s _happy_.’

‘Good observation, Sherlock. Yeah, I’m pissed off as _hell_.’

‘Who’s Sherlock?’ Sirius asked blankly.

She shrugged. ‘Some kind of old-fashioned Muggle detective. I dunno.’

‘Okay . . . So, why are you looking like you want to tear someone’s head off?’

‘The boys know how to walk. Better yet, they can _run_.’

‘Oh.’

Her point was proved when the two of them ran through the hallway, past the door they were standing at, squealing at the top of their lungs.

There was a long pause.

‘Well, I was bored,’ Sirius eventually said. ‘So I came a-visiting. Whaddya say to hot chocolate?’

Marley took one glance at the snowy weather outside, which contrasted greatly with the nice, warm temperature within. ‘Sounds good.’

And so that was what Sirius spend his night doing. He and Marley chased after her brothers when it was time to put them to bed, and the rest of the time was spent sitting sprawled over the couches and drinking steaming beverages.

This beat staying at home by a long shot.


	62. Year 4 - This, My Friend, Is Quite Awkward

**_ 62 – This, My Friend, Is Quite Awkward _ **

** Marlene **

It was just like those strange Muggle movies where the detective lines up the suspects and tries to knock them off his (or her) list, one by one. But, at the same time, it was nothing like it.

Marley didn’t have any suspects; she was just doing the lining-up bit. Because, hey, it gave her a sense of purpose, and she both looked and felt like she was in charge. It also happened to terrify her victims.

There, all in a row, she had lined up the Marauders. The poor sods hadn’t really been expecting her to barge into their dormitory unannounced, and therefore seventy five percent of them were shirtless. Peter (the other twenty five percent) was wearing a dressing gown she was pretty sure belonged to his mother.

‘I’ve been thinking, gentlemen,’ she started.

‘Shocker,’ Sirius muttered. She shot him a glare which quickly shut him up.

‘I have been thinking, and something has just come to my attention.’ She stopped her pacing and gave them all a knowing look. ‘As you know, I have a tendency to delve into the psychological side of things which really . . . _shouldn’t_ be delved into. But all the same, I want answers about this particular topic.’

‘Are you sure this is something _really_ important?’ Remus asked, raising a solitary eyebrow. ‘Because if not, I’ve got somewhere to be right now . . .’

‘ _Yes_ , it is _important_ , rabbit boy!’ Marley said sharply. ‘Hell, this could have a significant impact on all of woman-kind for the rest of eternity!’

‘Right, so it’s to do with sheilas,’ James muttered, crossing his arms. ‘Should’ve known.’

Marley glared again – something she had been doing quite a lot in the last two minutes. ‘ _I’ll have you know -_ ’

‘What were you going to ask us, again?’ Peter asked. He immediately shrunk into his non-existent shoes when Marley whirled on him. ‘Sorry.’

Marley huffed. ‘Okay. _If you would let me ask my question now_.’

‘Sure thing, boss,’ Sirius said, smirking. She gave him the finger in response. That only caused both he and James to burst out laughing.

‘When you hug a girl,’ Marley started slowly. They both quietened down to listen, but raised their eyebrows at her strange start. ‘Are you, being males, erm, how do I say this . . . _hyperaware_ of the, well . . .’

‘The what?’ Sirius asked with a grin.

‘The, er . . . bust region.’

James, Sirius and Peter all blinked in confusion, and after a second Remus went fire-truck red. Apparently only _he_ knew what she meant.

‘What the hell is a bust?’ James asked blankly.

Marley sighed and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet a little. ‘You know, the, er -’ She made gesturing motions with her hands at chest height.

They failed to put two and two together.

‘Oh my god. Um . . .’ She shot Remus a look that said _please help me_ , and he leaned over to whisper something to the others.

Three seconds later, they all gave a collective, ‘ _Ohhh.’_

‘Yep,’ Sirius said.

‘Very much so,’ James agreed.

‘I don’t know,’ Peter finished. ‘I haven’t really hugged a girl.’

Marley looked at Remus. He went red again. ‘Why on earth are you asking this?’

‘I was bored,’ Marley said defensively, ‘and I started thinking. Merlin knows I hug you lot too much.’ She directed that statement more at James and Sirius, and they seemed to agree. ‘And when I thought of this, I actually started feeling _sorry_ for you. Shouldn’t’ve wasted my time.’

‘No need to be so rude,’ James said loftily. ‘We answered your question, after all.’

‘And . . .’ Sirius said, ‘It’s not actually weird when we hug _you_ . . . if you catch my drift.’

She gave him a look. ‘No, I don’t. Please elaborate.’

‘Well, there’s nothing _there_.’

Marley’s eyebrows shot a mile up her head. ‘SIRIUS BLACK, DID YOU JUST CALL ME _FLAT CHESTED?_ ’

Sirius immediately backed up a little, grinning guiltily. ‘Maybe, maybe not.’

‘Dude . . .’ James gave a low whistle through his teeth. ‘That was harsh.’

‘I’m pretty sure if you look through that book we made about impressing girls,’ Marley said, ‘you will find a section that states you should _never_ point out a female’s lack of . . . _terrain!_ ’

‘ _Terrain?_ ’ Sirius choked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘Fine, curves if you will! It has the same meaning!’ She groaned and looked skywards. ‘You’re an idiot.’

‘Sorry,’ Sirius said meekly. Then, in a volume he obviously thought she couldn’t hear, he added, ‘ _Not_.’

Marley rolled her eyes and walked out.

* * *

 

Exactly half an hour later, at around seven thirty, Marley was sitting on her bed and waiting for Kayla to wake up. Lily had already left to track down Alice and ask her questions about the Divination homework, but not long after she went down the stairs, she reappeared again.

‘Sirius is looking for you,’ she said. ‘And for some reason it seems important, believe it or not.’

Marley raised her eyebrows, finding that hard to believe, but went down to the common room anyway.

Sirius was waiting at the foot of the stairs with his arms crossed. Giving the two of them a funny look, Lily sauntered off without another word.

‘Whaddya want?’ Marley asked.

Sirius looked around warily, before refocusing on her. ‘I have a favour to ask. But, first could you sneak me into your dormitory?’

Marley gave him a flat, unimpressed look.

‘Go open the window or something,’ he continued. ‘I’ll fly up.’

‘. . . _Why?_ ’

‘I’ll tell you when I’m up there,’ he insisted. ‘Just . . . it’s gonna be a weird day if you agree.’

Marley sighed, but turned around all the same, walking back up the staircase. Kayla was still dead to the world when she arrived, clearly no closer to waking up now than she was two minutes ago. Marley crossed the room and pushed open the window. Less than a minute later, Sirius was climbing through the frame and dropping neatly into the dormitory, dragging his broom with him.

Giving him yet another look, Marley decided to jump straight to the cut. ‘All you have managed to do today is prove that you’re dead stupid, and insult my womanhood. What in Merlin’s name makes you think I want to help you?’

He paused for a moment. ‘You like flattery?’

‘ _Are you calling me gullible?_ ’

‘No!’ He cringed. ‘I don’t even know what that means!’

‘Me neither! But my point still stands!’

‘ _What point?_ ’

‘That – ah, bugger it. I don’t even remember.’

Sirius waited for her to sigh and sit down on her bed, before talking. ‘New year. So I’m starting 1975 afresh, yeah?’

‘Mmm?’

‘So . . . well, you know that chick I’ve been dating? Sophia?’

‘That third year who’s like, _tiny?_ ’

‘Yeah. Her. The thing is, she’s absolutely sweet. And I _cannot_ look at her without thinking of this tiny little squirrel with huge eyes, _and who wants to go upsetting a squirrel, huh?_ ’

Marley blinked at this sudden escalation, and raised her eyebrows. Sirius regained his composure, and continued.

‘I have to dump her. Heck, I _need_ to. But I don’t know how. You, Marley, are knowledgeable in the ways of the female. You know more than those sods I call friends, anyway.’

‘Not _really_ ,’ Marley muttered. He didn’t hear her.

‘You would be able to do it right,’ he continued. ‘So here’s my proposition. You dress up as me for today, because I don’t know how to make Polyjuice Potion, and can’t be sodded to wait for an entire month. Then, you dump her for me, as nicely as you can. Sound alright?’

Marley frowned, then waved her hands around a bit. ‘Wait, wait _wait._ There is no way I am missing out on school today. We have double Transfiguration, and McGonagall will _kill_ me if I don’t turn up. _And,_ there’s no point in pretending to be sick, because Pomfrey _knows_. She is this freaking all-knowing source of power, and she can tell if you don’t really have a head cold!’

Sirius paused, processing this. Then he spoke. ‘I don’t get it.’

‘I go to school, yeah? _But_ I’m dressed as _you_. The individual know as Marlene McKinnon won’t be present. _I’ll_ get into trouble because I supposedly didn’t turn up!’

‘ _Ohhhh_.’ Sirius seemed to be thinking. He looked around the room, before staring scrutinisingly at Marley for a bit. Finally, he seemed to have an idea. ‘I’ve got it. _I’ll_ dress up as _you!_ ’

‘. . . What?’

‘That way, we’re both technically present,’ Sirius said excitedly. ‘Oh wow, this is gonna be weird. I’m gonna wear a _skirt_ , and those funny knee-high socks, and -’

‘Hang on.’ Marley stopped him. ‘What makes you think I’m going to agree to that?’

‘School starts soon. And you feel so sorry for me and my predicament that you just _have_ to help me. And you love me to bits and pieces – brother from another mother, you know? And -’

‘Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. _Okay.’_ She took one look at the more-than-euphoric expression on his face and added, ‘But, this is putting your manliness on the line. When you get married, I am standing up on a table and telling everyone at that bloody service that you dressed up as me when you were nearly fifteen.’

‘No you won’t,’ Sirius said firmly. ‘Or I’m doing the same at your wedding.’

Marley stuck out her hand. ‘Shake on it?’ When he complied, they both said, ‘Deal.’

Now came the weird bit. With Kayla _still_ sleeping up the other end of the room, Marley sent Sirius off to get his uniform, and a wig from Merlin-knows where. All that mattered was that he _did_ find one, and it happened to look exactly like his own hair. While he was doing that, Marley bustled about, collecting her own uniform and tossing it on the bed, and then hunting through Claire and Imogen’s cupboards for something that might pass for her own hair. Heck, even a mop head would do. But, strangely enough, when she was rummaging through the depths of Claire’s possessions, she found something rather odd.

Just as Sirius came back, she worked out what it was. ‘ _Hey!_ They – this was – oh my god!’

‘What?’ he asked, coming over. ‘Hey, that looks like your hair. Well done!’

‘They cut off all my hair when I was nine!’ Marley squawked. ‘ _This_ is what they did with it!’

Sirius doubled over and nearly started choking. ‘They made it into a wig! HA _HA!_ ’

Marley tossed it at him and got to her feet, fuming. ‘At least it’s becoming of use now . . .’

The next step was to dress Sirius up accordingly. Marley didn’t trust him to try and work everything out for himself, and thus made him strip down to his boxers in the middle of the room while she paced around him, inspecting.

‘Right,’ she finally said, walking over to her trunk and rummaging through, bringing out a pair of stockings. She tested the elasticity of them, stretching them a few times, before tossing them at him.

‘Tie that around your waist, _really tight_. I’m sort of an hourglassy shape, and you’re just . . . square. Rectangular, I mean.’

Sirius obliged and started fastening the material. After a moment, when he was inspecting his handiwork, she came over and gave it a good yank. Sirius yelled out, but it made a dramatic difference.

‘Suck it up, you baby,’ Marley told him. ‘Pain equals beauty, remember.’

‘ _You’re_ beautiful?’

She slapped him really hard, right on his exposed chest, and grinned when it made a massive, red horse-bite on his ribcage. Sirius yelled again and she gave him a smug look, now deciding what to do next.

Unfortunately, he seemed to work out what it was right when she did. He pointed to the collection of bras that had spilled out of the trunk when she had been looking through it earlier, and quirked his eyebrows. Marley sighed heavily, and nodded.

‘Though,’ she said, ‘I don’t see why, considering you _insulted me_ earlier.’

‘Hey, now,’ Sirius said, apparently realising that he really needed to get back onto her good side. ‘You’ve got a _bit_ of curvature . . .’

‘Thanks for noticing, pervert.’

‘Oi!’

She tossed him a white one. ‘Put that on. I’m going to get some stuffing.’

‘What?’

She had just gone into the bathroom when he called out, ‘Why can’t I have a pink one or something?’

‘Because it _shows through!_ ’ she replied, now tearing handfuls of toilet paper off the roll. ‘White shirt, remember? _Duh!_ ’

‘Oh . . .’

She came back out and rolled her eyes at him. ‘This is going to be weird, and hopefully it will bruise your dignity. I sincerely hope it does.’ She then proceeded to stuff the paper into the bra.

Sirius just looked blankly at her the entire time, and when she stepped back to have a critical inspection, he said, ‘What?’

She shook her head. ‘Never mind. Now put a shirt on. You’re making me feel weird.’

He gave her a mock salute, and she whacked him over the head. Then, she went through Claire’s possessions once more, pulling out a bottle and some strips. ‘Now, we have to do something about your legs. Waxed or shaved?’

Without missing a beat, Sirius responded with, ‘Shaved.’

Marley pouted, and tossed the waxing supplies back where they came from. ‘Aww. That was gonna be _fun_.’

Kayla made a funny noise and rolled over. They both watched her apprehensively, then breathed a sigh of relief when she continued to sleep.

‘Stay here,’ Marley said. ‘I’ll get a razor.’

‘And some shaving cream,’ Sirius added, as she went out the door. Marley nodded, and without further ado made a beeline for the boys’ dormitory.

James, Peter and Remus barely noticed as she ducked into their bathroom and remerged with Sirius’ supplies, before leaving again. _Boys_.

A minute later, she and Sirius were barricaded in the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, with the latter’s legs propped up. The former was tasked with doing the actual shaving, as, for obvious reasons, Sirius hadn’t done it before.

‘You’ve got face fuzz, too,’ Marley noted. ‘Get rid of that afterwards.’

Sirius nearly choked. ‘ _Face fuzz?_ ’

‘Well, what else do I call it?’

‘True.’

It was a good thing they had started when they did, as this identity swap was actually taking a while. It was eight o’clock when they emerged, with Sirius looking quite a sight indeed.

‘Hey,’ Marley said, looking at him from behind as he walked. ‘You can actually _see_ your legs when they’re not covered in mammoth hair. And they’re quite nice, to be frank.’

‘I don’t know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment,’ Sirius replied.

‘A complisult, then.’

Once he was donned in the skirt, socks, and “shoes with the chunky heel that make you grow an inch or two”, there was only one thing left. The wig. Well, and make up, if he was going to turn her exact skin colour.

‘Ow, ow, ow, careful with the hair,’ Sirius hissed, as Marley piled it out of the way and secured it with bobby pins.

‘Shut up, you wuss. Stay still.’ She then carefully lowered the mass of blonde curls into his head, and started arranging it appropriately. Once she had pinned it in place, she clapped with pride.

‘Oh, we’re doing well,’ she cried, grinning. ‘Now, for some powder – I’m tanned, not _olive_ -’

It was rather convenient that there was a disposable gas mask in the bathroom drawer. For Marley, anyway. Using a rather large makeup pallet she had stolen from someone or other, she found the right colour and began loading it onto his face and neck, fanning away the powder clouds every so often. She didn’t really care if Sirius suffocated.

‘There,’ she said. ‘No one’ll notice the arms – mine are a funny colour, anyway – and you’re legs are mighty fine, so who cares? Just to finish, I read somewhere in Witch Weekly about being able to temporarily bleach your eyebrows . . .’

‘What about eye colour?’ Sirius asked, blowing away the wayward foundation that had made its way onto his shirt.

‘Nah, don’t know how to do that. Don’t worry about it. Say it’s a trick of the light if anyone asks.’ She found the magazine and flipped to the right page, before turning to Sirius and tapping his eyebrows light with her wand, muttering the incantation in a low voice.

Hey presto, blonde eyebrows.

‘I’m so proud,’ Marley gushed. ‘You look just like me. From a distance, anyway. If you get close, you start to question, but I modified your face the best that I could.’

‘Your turn,’ Sirius told her. As soon as she remembered, Marley groaned.

Damn it, _she_ was the one doing the actual breaking-up for Sirius, wasn’t she?

‘Okay,’ she muttered. ‘My main priority is the chest, skin colour, and hair. I can hide everything else with that bloody raggedy uniform of yours . . .’ She trailed off, to see that Sirius was busy checking himself out in the bathroom mirror through the doorway.

Grabbing another pair of tight, yet stretchy stockings (white, this time), Marley went into the bathroom and locked herself in. Shucking all of the layers on her top half, she inhaled and began wrapping the binding tightly around her chest, before hunting through that wonderful drawer and finding a safety pin to secure it with. She then turned side on and evaluated it.

It seemed to work. Here was hoping that it didn’t restrict her breathing too much. Like what had been mentioned before, there wasn’t much to . . . flatten, so it didn’t really affect her on a drastic level.

Yet.

Tossing her clothes in the laundry basket, she pushed open the door and marched back out to where Sirius was waiting, before pulling on his shirt and deliberately leaving the top button undone like he usually did. Then she pulled on his trousers, socks and shoes, and left the shirt as untucked and scruffy looking as possible. For extra effect, she hung the tie loosely around her neck.

Not trusting Sirius to secure the wig for her, she went into the bathroom and began loading her hair up with Sleekeazy’s Hairspray, before brushing it as flat as possible. Then she coiled it into a bun at the nape of her neck, and pulled the wig on top, pinning it, then ruffling it so it hung somewhat similar to Sirius’. He silently handed her a pot of hair gel, and she took that as a hint. Using the said gel, he took over, styling it like the diva he truly was. After a good ten minutes, he stepped away, gave a satisfied nod, then spritzed her with cologne. Marley made a noise of indignation, before deliberately grabbing a nearby bottle of perfume and doing the same to him.

They later emerged in a strange mix of scents.

A good deal of powdered foundation later, they were done. Sirius walked around, recollecting his supplies, and tossed her a jumper. Marley pulled it on, grateful for the warmth, and he did the same.

‘High five,’ Marley said, holding her hand up. ‘That was actually kind of fun.’

He obliged, but at the loud sound, Kayla finally stirred. She yawned, and stretched, before opening her eyes and looking at them groggily.

‘Marley,’ she mumbled. ‘Sirius?’

‘Run,’ Marley hissed.

And with that, they both legged it to the window and climbed into the broomstick that Sirius had left there earlier.


	63. Year 4 - Identity Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter needs a disclaimer: I don't own any of the music involved in this chapter, nor am I trying to make money out of anything. And stuff. I don't know how to write a disclaimer. But my point still stands. It's not mine.

**_ 63 – Identity Crisis _ **

** Sirius **

‘I can’t believe you shaved my _legs!_ ’ Sirius whined, hoisting his satchel further up his shoulder. ‘It feels weird.’

‘Trust me, you’ll feel exceptionally gross after a few days,’ Marley replied shortly. ‘Now shut up. It’s best if you keep talking to a bare minimum, because honestly, you’re crap at impersonations.’

Sirius bristled at the jab, but she silenced him with a finger to his lips.

‘No talking.’

‘But -’

‘Nope.’

‘I -’

‘ _Zip._ ’

‘ _Uuuurmph_.’

‘Keep your head low,’ Marley continued, ‘and don’t interact. You can avoid having a social life for a day, yeah?’

Sirius shrugged a little, giving her his best grumpy face. She ignored him.

‘Leave everything to me. If we’re going to be honest here, I’m probably the brains, and you’re the beauty.’

‘You wouldn’t make the cut to be the beauty,’ Sirius told her irritably, exceptionally brassed off at her shortness. ‘The standards are set _very_ high.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah.’

There was a pause, and right when they were lost in the vast crowd of people in the corridors, he stated, ‘Skirts are a bit breezy, aren’t they?’

Immediately Marley flushed red to the roots of her hair, and smacked him on the arm. ‘Act like you’re used to it, sod! I can’t hit you a lot today, because it’ll look worse. People think I’m _you!_ ’

‘Okay, okay!’ Sirius cried. ‘Internal observations it is, then.’

‘Now,’ Marley said. ‘How am I gonna track down this chick of yours?’

Sirius shrugged and mumbled something intelligible.

‘Well, _that_ was useful,’ she deadpanned.

‘Well, her group . . . they hover in the middle of corridors a lot and squeal like a bunch of senseless eagles.’

‘That’s a new one,’ Marley admitted, raising her eyebrows. ‘Alright then, I’ll be off. We’ll rendezvous at lunch and see how things are going.’

Sirius gave a mock salute. ‘Yes ma’am!’

This hopefully wasn’t going to be too chaotic.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Damn it, if there was one thing that really bugged her right now, it was that Sirius was bloody _popular_. Almost everyone she passed in that damn corridor wanted to strike up a conversation, and it took all of her acting capabilities to smoothly navigate those waters and find an excuse to leave.

God forbid that she’d run into the Marauders. They wouldn’t believe for a second that she was _actually_ Sirius, because they knew him so well, and if they found out what he had asked her to do . . . she’d never hear the end of it.

So, Marley was on full-alert everywhere she went.

‘Yes, I’m am actually Sirius Black . . . channel the inner Sirius Black . . . _be_ the Sirius Black . . . you _are_ the Sirius Black . . .’ Her constant, muttered chanting was almost rhythmical while her head was a-swivel, and _damn it she could not find this girl!_

‘Magical navigation system of Hogwarts, please come to my _aiiiiid . . ._ ’

Marley had this habit of going a little sing-song-ish when she was panicking. And yes, she was panicking. The stupid identity-swap they had taken on earlier wasn’t going to work, because Marlene McKinnon looked _nothing like_ Sirius Black, and anyone with half a brain would be able to tell. She’d be caught, then hung, drawn and quartered, before her bloodied remains were strung up by chains in Filch’s office . . .

Okay, maybe there was a bit of slight exaggeration going on at the moment, but this was methodical by Marley’s book. It was _supposed_ to be therapeutic (don’t ask how) and for obvious reasons, it really wasn’t.

Now she was just winding herself in circles.

‘Okay,’ she muttered to herself as she walked purposefully along one of the more empty corridors. ‘Let’s try some . . . singing exercises. There we go! Singing exercises! Ahem. _Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do . . ._ ’ She cut off and grimaced. ‘Damn it, I can’t sing. Okay, er . . . Muggle songs! _Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet? Oooh, but they're so spaced out! B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets . . ._ Uh, I don’t know the words . . . Something about rocket boots. No, electric boots . . . _Bennie! Bennie and the Jets!’_ She pulled an even more horrible face than the first one. ‘That is _not_ an attractive sound with my voice.’ She cleared her throat awkwardly, and double checked that there actually wasn’t anyone still in this corridor.

There wasn’t.

Good.

Though, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to rob Sirius of all his dignity while she had the opportunity . . .

She froze as an awful thought struck her. Oh no. Sirius _would_ , though. He would do the exact same thing - while he looked like _her!_

‘Red alert!’ Marley screeched, clapping her hands over her mouth. ‘Merlin!’

This was _not_ good. She could only hope on the names of all the religious beings in existence that the thought hadn’t occurred to him.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

‘My name is Marlene McKinnon and I walk like I’m radiating fabulousness,’ Sirius said in a musical voice, trying his best to imitate the way girls walked. He was picking up hints and tricks from all the sixth and seventh years that were currently passing by, and it involved a _lot_ of hip swinging.

He had no idea if his replication was an absolute failure or not. But honestly, he didn’t care. This was Marley’s life he was ruining, not his own.

He could go loco and it wouldn’t put a dint in his bad-boy reputation.

Oh, this was a _golden_ opportunity.

He would start his magnificent day with some overdramatic hip swinging. Almost immediately, his obvious insanity began to attract a few odd looks, but Sirius quickly tired.

‘Man, walking like that takes so much _effort . . ._ ’

He would have to go to different lengths to cause Marley life-long humiliation. Maybe a bit of an Irish jig on the teachers’ table in the Great Hall . . .

Never mind. He didn’t know how to jig.

It took him a good, long while to realise that he was actually supposed to be going somewhere (Transfiguration) and he had to toss all evil plans out the window while he did a one-eighty in the middle of the corridor and puttered in the other direction.

Oh well. He could plot while he put poor, defenceless animals through mental struggles by turning them into an armchair crossed with a rolling pin.

‘Hey, Marley!’

Uh oh.

Lily and Kayla came hurrying up behind him, and sidled in on either side.

‘Where have you been?’ Lily asked curiously. ‘Haven’t seen you since I left the dormitory.’

‘Speaking of which,’ Kayla added, ‘ _What_ were you doing with Sirius?’

‘I . . . Uh . . .’ He trailed off, trying to pull together a remotely believable story in his head. He thought about why he was in this position in the first place, girlfriends, Marley’s strangeness as a whole, and the fact that the stocking strapped around his torso was really bugging him. Somehow, that took control, and he really wasn’t expecting what came out of his mouth next. ‘Sh- _He_ was giving me snogging lessons.’

Several times over the past four years, Sirius had kicked himself for being dead-terrible at lying. Right now he wanted to smack himself with a battering ram.

Lily’s eyebrows flew a mile up her forehead, and Kayla choked. ‘ _What?_ ’

‘Kidding,’ he added hastily, pasting a wide and completely false grin across his face.

‘Good.’ Lily breathed a sigh of relief, before adding, ‘Besides, you’ve never kissed anyone in your life, so why on earth would you want _snogging lessons?_ ’

‘I was _kidding!_ ’ Sirius cried, but he stored that bit of information away for later blackmail.

‘Are you alright, Marley?’ Kayla asked, her forehead creasing into a frown. ‘You sound strange.’

‘Yeah, sorry. Think I’m coming down with something.’ Sirius gave a cough to reinforce his point.

‘You look sick, too,’ Lily agreed. ‘Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey.’

‘I’m fine,’ Sirius said easily, trying not to openly blanch at the jab at his appearance. ‘I just don’t think I’ll be talking for the rest of the day, alright?’

They both blinked, but eventually nodded in agreement, before continuing on in silence. Sirius breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He was safe. For now.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Sirius was an individual who liked to saunter into class late and drop into his seat like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Marley wasn’t sure if she ought to copy the action or not this time around. But if she wanted less fuss, she figured that she ought to keep to the back of the room and not talk to anyone. Thus, she could formulate attack plans in peace, not be noticed by the Marauders, and keep up the “Sirius” act.

However, there was a reason Marley wasn’t some professional battle strategist. All the ideas she managed to rake together were either too far-fetched or would prove to be ineffective. More than once she toyed with the potential of recruiting Peeves to help her out by springing a net on Sophia when she was least expecting it.

Now _there_ was a possibility.

Why were tiny people so _untrackable?_ She’d been hunting all morning, for Merlin’s sake, and she’d seen neither hide nor hair of Sirius’ soon-to-be-dumped girlfriend.

And it was only a _small_ school . . .

When the Marauders turned up, she made a point of hiding beneath her desk until they were well away from her. If this task was to go as smoothly as possible, then she needed to avoid all potential road blocks. Fortunately, they were too busy discussing what would happen if you mixed bi-carb soda and vinegar with a swelling solution. James and Peter were enthusiastic about trying it, and Marley was seriously hoping that they would end up on the wrong end of the result. Remus was the poor sod who was stuck attempting to convince them not to try it.

‘You’ll see!’ James cried dramatically. ‘Sirius will think it’s a _great_ idea!’

‘Where _is_ Sirius?’ Peter wondered, looking around as though the man in question would suddenly drop out of the sky. Marley immediately shrunk further beneath her table.

‘I haven’t seen him since this morning,’ Remus agreed. ‘He’s probably with Marley.’

Yeah, and maybe a _little_ too close for comfort . . .

James and Peter seemed happy enough with that explanation, and the three of them sat in a cluster at the desks further towards the other side of the room. Marley debated the safeness of emerging before reluctantly poking her head over the top of the table and easing her backside up onto her chair.  She must have looked really funny now, with her back almost completely horizontal, her nose sitting on the surface of the desk, and her huge brown eyes looking around suspiciously.

Yeah - not conspicuous, her _foot_.

It was going to be a long lesson.

* * *

 

** Sirius **

Sirius and Marley were on opposite ends of the Transfiguration classroom, desperately trying to hide from their respective friend groups. Well, trying to hide from everyone, really. The longer they tried to keep going with this mission, the more ridiculous it seemed to both of them.

Sirius honestly couldn’t believe they were _doing this_.

Thankfully, the slip ups were kept to a minimum. McGonagall was clearly suspicious of something, but she wasn’t going to push it any further, because hey, Sirius and Marley were equally odd, and she was more than used to it. Though, he may have been pushing it when he started to make an odd assortment of duck noises . . .

Well, in his defence, what else could he do? Embarrassing Marley was one of the best things a man could do, and he wasn’t wasting a second.

The second he was out of that classroom, one torturously long hour and a half later, Sirius breathed a sigh of relief and sauntered off down the corridor, debating where he could hide over the short break he had before History of Magic.

But then again, did _Marley_ ever turn up to History of Magic?

He was going to guess no.

With an offhand shrug, he dramatically flicked his hair over his shoulder, spluttering when half of the violently curly mass ended up in his mouth, before rebounding and smacking him in the eyes. Brushing that minor failure aside, he headed in the direction of one of his favourite passageways out of the school, deciding he was going to spend the rest of the morning taking a leisurely stroll down to Honeydukes.

And that he did. After disappearing down the passage beneath the one-eyed witch, he rolled out his shoulders, lit his wand with _lumos_ , and started moseying down the tunnel, one again working on refining his womanly-walking techniques. Afterwards, he decided that the general public did not need to know the end result of that. He was _not_ cut out for womanly-walking.

The shop owner didn’t blink twice when Sirius finally rocked up in the store, seeing that out-of-bounds schoolchildren were probably a common sight to him. So, Sirius stocked up on sugar (and paid a particularly generous amount of cash for it, too), headed back down the tunnel, and was back inside the walls of Hogwarts before one in the afternoon.

Classes were let out a few minutes after he arrived, so he didn’t look conspicuous walking around the place, but he had been just in time so no one would see him leaving the passageway.

It was lunchtime now, and Marley had said that they should meet up. Sirius agreed with that; he was _tired_ of being a girl. There was too much effort involved.

Just as he gave himself a nod and decided that yes, he would most definitely try to find Marley (wherever she was in this colossal castle), a streak of blonde shot past him, wailing rather loudly.

It took him a few seconds, but he realised that that tiny figure was Sophia Greene. And she was most definitely upset.

His eyebrows travelled a mile up his forehead.

What had Marley _done?_

* * *

 

** Marlene **

She hadn’t meant to. Honestly. It just . . . ended badly.

Finally, after half a day of internally winding herself in circles, she spotted Sophia after Charms, chattering happily with her friends as they wandered in the vague direction of the History of Magic classroom. Forcing herself to keep quiet and _not_ let out some dramatic cry of relief, Marley squared her shoulders, made herself look buff, and started walking over to her with a Sirius-like saunter. Fortunately, Sophia was going to make this easy for her. She looked up at exactly the right moment, and her face split into a beam that was absolutely _radiant_.

No wonder Sirius had chickened out.

‘ _Sirius!_ ’ she cried, rushing over to her. ‘I haven’t seen you all _day!_ Where have you _been?_ ’

Tactics, McKinnon. Tactics. Marley adjusted her expression so she looked both awkward and a little miserable, and gave Sophia a deliberately wan smile.

‘I, uh . . . hey, Soph.’ She choked on the first word or so, but quickly worked out the right tone, depth and volume to regulate her voice to.

He called her “Soph”, right?

The other girl didn’t react badly, so she had to assume yes. However, she could clearly tell something wasn’t “right”.

‘Hey, what’s wrong, babe?’ she asked, taking Marley’s hand and leading them off down the corridor.

How does one “break up” with someone? Especially when they weren’t even _your_ significant other to begin with?

Heck, Marley had been so set on just _finding_ this girl all day that she hadn’t figured out how she was going to do the dirty work once she did. So it just popped out.

‘I want to break up.’

Sophia froze. ‘What?’

‘No, no, no, don’t take it badly!’ Marley immediately cried. ‘I just want to start a new leaf, that’s all. You know, with the new year and all?’

Her bottom lip trembled, and Marley really _could_ see the baby squirrel resemblance now. ‘W-what?’

‘I, er, fresh starts, and all that shizz . . .’ She trailed off, and scratched the back of her neck absently.

‘Since when did _you_ care about fresh starts?’ Sophia asked tearfully, looking up at her. ‘And what have you done to your face? You look different.’

Marley restrained an indignant ‘ _oi!’_ and put on a deliberate sad face. ‘I’m sick. But, yeah, um, I still love you and all that, but -’ She started blabbering on, not noticing that the tiny girl before her was actually starting to swell with something not unlike absolute fury.

‘ _You know what?_ ’ she shrieked. ‘ _You’re just a self-centred arse anyway! Who needs you, huh?_ ’ With that, she pivoted on her heel and shot down the corridor before Marley could blink twice.

‘Me . . . ?’ Marley said, blinking owlishly.

Well, she screwed that one up. Rather quickly.

Oops?

But hey, in her defence, she knew nothing about relationships anyway.

The acting on the other hand . . .  she was going to be a _star_ one day. A bloody _star_. To hell with Aurors and all of those sorts of jobs, Marley was going to ditch wizarding life all together and go into the Muggle film industry. She was freaking _awesome_ at this.

She spent a good five minutes standing in the corridor amidst a sea of people with a lazy grin on her face, imagining the prospects. She didn’t realise that she was being watched due to the dramatic dumping she had just initiated, or that several hopeful girls were whispering to each other behind their hands, wondering if it would be a good idea to make a move on Sirius now that he was “available”.

Then, all of a sudden, it came crashing down on her: _Oh crap, I failed the mission!_

* * *

 

Funnily enough, Sirius didn’t seem to care. He sought her out almost immediately afterwards, crying, ‘Free! I’m free! Free like a bird!’ before barrelling into her with a most un-manly hug and saying, ‘We need to go back to the dormitory. This bra is bugging me.’

Marley wholeheartedly agreed, and with interlaced arms they wandered back to Gryffindor tower. Once back inside the girls’ dormitory, quite alone this time, they quite happily shucked their disguises and revelled in their newfound freedom, because _hey_ , no more pretending!

Marley swore she was never doing that again. Sirius seemed to agree. So they rewarded themselves by taking the rest of the day off.

Now looking quite like themselves again, they bounded down the staircase in celebration (before sliding the rest of the way down via the chute).

‘You know what the best song of all time is?’ Marley asked, as they both slid on their backsides onto the Common room carpet.

Sirius shrugged, before helping her up. ‘Something by ACDC?

Marley shook her head. ‘Nope.’

‘Pink Floyd?’

‘Nuh uh.’

‘Creedence?’

‘Nope.’

He huffed. ‘What, then?’

Marley chucked a lazy grin at him, before climbing up onto a coffee table and letting herself finally sing without the embarrassment restrictions. ‘ _Hey, kids, shake it loose together. The spotlight's hitting something that's been known to change the weather. We'll kill the fatted calf tonight, so stick arouuuuund._ ’ She stopped and quirked an eyebrow. ‘Ringing any bells?’

The blank stare answered the question for her, so she kept going.

‘ _You're gonna hear electric music; solid walls of souuuund._ _Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet? Oooh, but they're so spaced out! B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets . . .’_ She beamed. ‘And I remember the words now!’

Sirius held up a finger, clearly thinking. ‘I _might_ recognise it.’

‘ _Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful. Oh, Bennie; she's really keen. She's got electric boots, a mohair suit; you know I read it in a magazine, oh, ohhhhh! B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets!’_

His eyes widened suddenly, and a grin split his face. He waved his hands, making piano-like motions. ‘Bum-bum-bah-dah-bum! _Hey kids, plug into the faithless - maybe they're blinded, but Bennie makes them ageless!’_ He couldn’t sing all that fabulously, but Marley didn’t care. She couldn’t either. All she cared about was that he knew some of the words. ‘ _We shall survive; let us take ourselves along, where we fight our parents out in the streets to find who's right and who's wrong!’_

Sirius jumped up onto the table with her, and together they started dancing. ‘ _Oh, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet? Oh, but they're so spaced out! B-B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets. Oh, but they're weird and they're wonderful! Oh, Bennie she's really keen!_ ’ Marley grabbed her wand from her pocket and started using it like a microphone. Sirius conjured up two pairs of sparkly glasses with pink lenses, and handed one to her. He then resumed pretending to play the piano. ‘ _She's got electric boots, a mohair suit; you know I read it in a magazine, oh, ohhhhh! B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets!’_

The song was then supposed to lead into an instrumental section. They both made piano noises, remembering the tune the best that they could, before launching back into the chorus again, rising an octave or two. Marley started spinning in circles.

‘ _Bennie! Bennie and the Jets!’_

The two of them burst into laughter the second the song was over, falling into each other and struggling to stay upright.

‘That was the best thing we’ve done all day,’ Sirius choked, his eyes shining.

‘I know, right,’ Marley giggled. ‘I was singing that when I was wandering around like a lost loser earlier.’

‘You’re always a lost loser,’ he replied. ‘But now we’re singing _my_ favourite.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’

He made a show of clearing his throat, before beginning imitating an instrument of some sort – possibly a piano. ‘Bum-bah-dah . . . da-da-da-da-da-da da-duh-duh-da-duh . . . da-da-da-da-da-da da-duh-duh-da-duh . . . da-da-da-da-da-da da-duh-duh-da-duh . . . da-da-da-da-da-da da-duh-duh-da-duh . . .’ He kept rising a key or two with each set, and Marley pricked her ears, trying to put a name to the tune. Then he said the first six words and it immediately clicked. ‘ _I remember when rock was young -’_

Instantly she joined in, a massive grin spreading its way across her face. ‘ _Me and Suzie had so much fun - holding hands and skimming stones. Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own!’_

_‘But the biggest kick I ever got was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock. While the other kids were Rocking Round the Clock, we were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock!’_

Sirius started bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, before taking a leap and bounding from armchair to armchair. Marley just went back to spinning. ‘ _Well, Crocodile Rocking is something shocking - when your feet just can't keep still! I never knew me a better time, and I guess I never will._

 _‘Oh, Lawdy mama! Those Friday nights, when Suzie wore her dresses tight -_ ’ Sirius cut off and tossed her a wink, and Marley burst into laughter. ‘ _\- and the Crocodile Rocking was ouuuut of siiiiight._ ’ He leapt back onto the coffee table, and they both tossed their arms into the air dramatically. ‘ _Laaaaaaaaaa, la-la-la-la-laaaaaaa . . . la-la-la-la-laaaaaaa . . . la-la-la-la-LAAAAAAA!’_

That was their afternoon. Marley taught him all her favourites, as Sirius was pretty much an amateur in any genre that wasn’t heavy metal or rock.

‘ _So, goodbye yellow brick road, where the dogs of society howl. You can't plant me in your penthouse; I'm going back to my plough . . ._ ’

_‘I don't have much money, but boy if I did, I'd buy a big house where we both could live . . .’_

_‘And I think it's gonna be a long, long time til touch down brings me round again, to find I'm not the man they think I am at home. Oh no, no, no, I'm a rocket man . . .’_

A rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs Used:
> 
> Bennie and the Jets: Elton John; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; 1973
> 
> Crocodile Rock: Elton John; Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only the Piano Player; 1973
> 
> Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Elton John; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road; 1973
> 
> Your Song: Elton John; Elton John; 1970
> 
> Rocket Man: Elton John; Honky Chateau; 1972
> 
> I made a slight error when Don't Go Breaking My Heart was formerly incorporated, as it wasn't released until 1977.


	64. Year 4 - Doctor Sirius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the lack of update.

**_ 64 – Doctor Sirius _ **

** James **

‘ . . . and I don’t care what this book says, I am _not_ keeping a bunch of frigging _leaves_ in my mouth for an entire bloody _month!_ We’ll get caught!’

Peter looked at him with something akin to surprise. ‘Since when did _you_ care about something like that?’

‘Since we’re doing something this serious, that’s when,’ James stressed, all but flapping his arms around to convey his point.

‘What about me?’ Sirius asked stupidly, looking up from the book he was poring over.

James waved him off. ‘Nothing, Padfoot.’

Sirius shrugged and turned back to his reading, chewing on his Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum as loud as a cow. James did something with his mouth which seemed to be pursed lips crossed with a pout, before continuing his rant.

‘I mean, does _McGonagall_ ring a bell? She’s nothing short of an idiot, and what about everyone else? What about when we, Merlin forbid, have to _talk_ to people? And don’t get me started on Claire, oh hell -’

‘Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine,’ Sirius commented, slamming the book closed and looking up, his jaw revolving constantly. Madam Pince hissed from the other end of the library, and he cracked a small grin. ‘Now, here’s an idea – what if we pretend we’ve hexed ourselves silent?’

‘I’m pretty sure someone would know a counter-curse,’ James replied dryly, fiddling with the corner of a page.

‘Then how about -’

‘Why don’t we pretend we’re having a massive round of the silent game?’ Peter piped up. ‘My mum really likes that one for some reason . . .’

‘Hey, Pete’s on to something,’ Sirius said, agreeing instantly and looking rather excited. ‘We could have little chalkboards to write messages on, and that can be our cover story. And Remus is smart – he can convince anyone who starts to think otherwise.’

‘Hmm.’ James stroked his chin thoughtfully, before grinning. ‘That’s actually a pretty bloody good idea. Kudos to you both, men.’

Sirius looked smug, while Peter started to inflate with pride.

‘Just . . . I don’t see how one is capable of snogging their girlfriend while they have _leaves_ in their mouth.’

Sirius shrugged. ‘Just don’t. I’m sure you can restrain yourself for that long, Prongsie.’

‘But Claire?’ He raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged again. ‘Tell her something. She’ll believe anything if it comes out of your mouth.’

James sighed heavily. ‘I don’t even know anymore. It’s like -’ He leaned back in his chair and started using hand gestures to convey his point across. ‘It’s like she wants to be with me, but she _doesn’t_ want to, if you get what I mean.’

‘Nope,’ Sirius replied, popping the “p”.

‘Well, for starters, she doesn’t talk to me all that much anymore, but when she wants something, she’s more than willing to turn up for a snog. You know what I mean?’

‘I s’pose.’

‘And, well, she’s been a little awful lately. Not just to me, but Marls, Evans, those second years who took over one of the corners in the Common Room, and even little Kayla. Who the hell wants to pick on someone that tiny, huh?’

Sirius gave him a deadpan expression. ‘Mate, she’s always been a bitch to them.’

James made a funny noise and tried to stress his point. ‘Yeah, but . . . worse than usual. You get me?’

‘Partially.’ Sirius straightened up and grabbed James’ glasses off the bridge of his nose, before putting them on himself and grabbing some parchment and a quill, making himself look professional. ‘Doctor Sirius is in the house. Now, if you please, kind sir, describe your problems in full length. If I feel nice enough, I’ll turn you into a doxy and all of your problems will . . . float away. Literally.’

James gave him an unimpressed look, despite the fact that he could hardly see, and blindly snatched the spectacles off him.

‘I’m thinking about breaking up,’ he admitted, once he was comfortable again. ‘I’m a bit over it. She’s just too much to handle.’

‘Hark, who’s talking?’ Sirius said with a nod in his direction. ‘You, mate, are a member of the Marauders. We _define_ “too much to handle”.’

‘In a different _sense_ ,’ James grumbled. ‘ _Please_ try to be of help here, Padfoot.’

Sirius cracked a grin, but became marginally more sensible. ‘Alright. You want my advice? Yeah, end it. I honestly don’t think she’s the bird you’ll be marrying someday, so you might as well spare yourself the worst of the heartbreak.’

‘But I still _really like her_.’

‘Just think back to the days she was a crazy, nutjob stalker,’ Peter said, grinning a little as he reminisced. ‘Then you stupidly did a one-eighty and decided that you liked her too.’ He tutted. ‘Bad move, mate.’

James sighed, and glared at Sirius. ‘Look what you’ve done. You’ve corrupted poor little Peter.’

Sirius grinned. ‘Only doing what I do best.’

He muttered a few incoherent choice words of insult, before flipping his book back open. ‘I’ll just have to think about it, I guess. Unless something _really_ bad happens, but I doubt that . . .’

Sirius was staring over James shoulder, his face shocked. ‘Mate . . . you _really_ have the worst timing. And luck. Oh hell.’

James frowned at him. ‘What?’

He swallowed lightly, his expression moulding into something a little angrier. ‘Don’t look around, Prongsie. Spare yourself the pain, and just keep living in your blissfully ignorant world of ponies and leprechauns.’

Peter stood beside Sirius to see where he was looking, and seconds later his jaw dropped open.

Now James really wanted to look. But, at the same time, he really _didn’t_.

‘Oh Merlin,’ the little blonde boy said weakly, his eyebrows slipping down his forehead in a stunned manner.

Right. That was it.

James carefully closed his book and stood up, before rolling out his shoulders and cracking his neck. Then, ever so slowly, he turned around.

What greeted him was the worst possible sight he could have imagined in that point in time.

There, hidden behind a row of bookshelves but just in sight of the three boys, was Claire Winters. And she was lip-locked with a sixth year James didn’t know.

The book slid limply from his hands and hit the ground with a deafening smack. Beside him, Sirius started to growl in almost a dog-like manner, fury etched in every feature on his face.

James didn’t know what to think. His heartrate had just increased dramatically, and his head was spinning. He was struggling to process exactly what was going on, though it was as plain as day.

She was cheating. _Right in front of him_.

And just like that, James felt his body temperature rise a few degrees. His ears were ringing and his head instead began to pound with all of the blood rushing to it. Everything he did afterwards was driven by the anger, not his mind.

He stepped over the book and strode over to them, slamming his hand down on a nearby table. They both jumped apart at the loud noise, looking startled. The second Claire spotted James, the blood drained from her face.

‘James, I can explain -’

‘ _Oh yeah?_ ’ he shouted, looking between her and the other guy. He gestured violently in his direction. ‘ _You can explain_ _THIS?_ ’

‘Yes, just please -’ She grabbed his wrist, but James immediately yanked it out of her grip.

‘We’re done,’ he said in a stony voice, the muscles in his jaw twitching. ‘Don’t you even _think_ of trying to fix this.’

‘James, please - !’

‘ _No!’_

He had never lost control like this before. Claire actually looked a little frightened, and she moved back a step, straight into the arms of her new “friend”.

That was the last straw. He drew in a shuddering breath, launched forward, and smashed him in the nose – straight over the top of her head. Claire screamed and ducked, and James launched himself at the sixth year, shoving him into the bookshelf behind him. Instantly Sirius was by his side, but James pushed him away.

This was his fight.

With another sharp blow, he clocked the guy in the jaw, and blood from his nose ended up all over his fist, but he didn’t care. He went in for a third punch, and –

With a sharp impact he was sent flying back, straight onto his butt. Standing over him was Madam Pince, looking more furious than he had ever seen her before.

‘I don’t know what you have to say for yourself, _boy_ , but it won’t excuse this. To your head of house! NOW!’

‘But -’

‘ _NOW!’_

* * *

 

** Kayla **

 ‘What is _that?_ ’

Marley looked at Kayla, clearly offended. ‘It’s a unicorn!’

Her eyebrows migrated a little further up her forehead. ‘. . . Oh?’

‘ _Yes._ ’ Marley frowned down at the sketch she had been drawing with her quill, and tapped her nose with the end of the feather. ‘It looks like a unicorn to _me_.’

Kayla sighed, feeling a little sorry for her. ‘Here.’ She pulled their unused History textbook over to them and flipped through it, finding a page with a unicorn. ‘This is a unicorn. That -’ She pointed to Marley’s drawing. ‘- is a gryphon with an ice-cream cone on its forehead.’

Marley thought about it for a minute, then seemed to realise that unicorns weren’t supposed to have wings. ‘ _Oh!_ ’ she cried suddenly, before adding some more “detail”. ‘It’s a pegacorn, then.’

‘A what-a-what?’

‘Peg-a-corn. A cross between a unicorn and Pegasus.’

‘A _pegacorn_.’

‘A pegacorn.’

Kayla sighed. ‘What are we actually learning about today? I haven’t been paying attention all lesson.’

‘A pegacorn.’ Marley blinked, then said, ‘I mean, some goblin rebellion or other.’

‘Thank you.’

Kayla then started flipping through the textbook, while Marley kept doodling. She was mumbling Elton John lyrics to herself, and seemed quite content the way she was. Kayla actually found it rather amusing and quickly stopped trying to learn, instead watching her friend.

‘ _. . . this boy’s too young to be singin’ the bluuuuuuues . . . ohhhhhh . . . ahhhhhh . . ._ ’ She started drawing flowers around the pegacorn, and the next thing Kayla knew, it was eating rainbows.

You don’t want to know what was coming out of its rear end not long after.

After a while, Marley stopped singing and instead started muttering. Then, after she had finished cursing James, Sirius, imaginary people, and the next door neighbour’s horse, she trailed off into undefinable sounds.

‘Blalalalalalalalalala . . .’

Kayla quirked an eyebrow. ‘Blalalala?’

Marley nodded seriously, not looking up from her page. ‘Blalalala. Blalalala, _blalalala_.’

She grinned a little, even though the other girl couldn’t see it. It sounded like they were having a conversation, so she pretended to give a “comprehensive” answer. ‘Blalala blalalalala, blalala.’

‘Blalalala.’

‘Blalala blalalalala.’

‘Coo, coo.’

She paused. What?

‘Coo, coo, _coo._ ’

‘A-are you a _pigeon?_ ’

Marley nodded yet again, finally looking up at her. ‘Coo, coo, coo-coo, coo.’

Kayla sighed, finally realising that both their intelligence levels were starting to reach equivalent of a caveman’s. But today, she didn’t care. Sometimes you just had to go with the flow. ‘Coo, coo, coo, coo.’

‘Coo, coo-coo.

‘Coo, coo, coo, coo.’

‘Blalalalalala . . .’


	65. Year 4 - Lily's View On Love Potions

**_ 65 – Lily’s View on Love Potions _ **

** Lily **

That awful day of the year was back again.

Valentine’s Day.

There were few things that Lily despised more. And _no_ , she wasn’t bitter just because she was single. She just hated the fact that everyone went lovey-dovey. It was so . . . _cringe worthy._ And don’t get her started on the extra factors that came along with the festivities. Cards, chocolate exchange ( _gross_ ), pink decorations, and . . .  dare she say it . . . _love potions_.   
Horrible, horrible things.

Here is an extract of the conversation between the girls when they arrived in the Great Hall that morning:

Marley: Holy crap! Cupid’s insides have exploded all over the walls!

Kayla: No kidding. I’ve never seen so much – Oh my god! Ice cream! At _breakfast!_

Marley: Watch yourself, Brownbraid. It’s probably spiked.

Lily: With what?

Marley: Whaddya _think?_

Kayla: If you’re suggesting love potions, then -’

Lily: _Love potions?_

Marley: Most likely. ‘Cause –

Lily: _LOVE POTIONS?!_

Kayla: Uh . . .

Marley: Lil . . . ?

Lily: WHO THE BLOODY _-*NOTICE: This segment has been censored to make it appropriate for all audiences* -_ PUTS LOVE POTIONS IN ICE CREAM? IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!

Marley: I think you’re overreacting –

Lily: NO WAY IN HELL AM _I_ OVERREACTING! _LOVE POTIONS!_ DON’T YOU GET IT? IT’S A FREAKING _DRUG_ THAT ROBS YOU OF YOUR COMMON SENSE, MAKES YOU BEHAVE IN AN UNNATURAL MANNER, AND THEN BECAUSE OF IT, EVERYTHING RESULTS IN YOU DOING THINGS THAT YOU WOULDN’T NORMALLY DO IN YOUR OWN STATE OF MIND! IT’S LIKE A PINK, SPARKLY VERSION OF THE IMPERIUS CURSE, DAMN IT!

Kayla: Well, if you put it that way . . .

Marley: You’ve got a point . . .

Lily: Ya _think?_

Hopefully that sums up Lily’s opinion in a nutshell.

Until she had reached the lovely age of fifteen, Lily Marie Evans hadn’t really been an individual to take in her surroundings on a marginally large level. Well, she supposed some of this maturity had developed around halfway through her fourteenth year, but the statement had more of an effect if she just rolled with “fifteen”. Before now, the concept of Valentine’s Day was just that: Valentine’s Day. Nothing more, nothing less. It was just . . . a _day_.

(Well, she’d never admit it out loud, but when she was eleven she had a few giggling fits over the idea just like all pre-teens do. And, mind you, the above statement is excluding the time Potter gave her exploding flowers. And we’re also going to brush over the fact that he sent her terrible poetry every year without fail. In fact, she had just received one of said offending letters, and was still recovering from some of the vulgar language within its contents.)

Now however, she considered everything else that came along with it. The cards. The chocolate. The looks of total adoration couples gave each other. The incessant spiking of drinks with love potion. And, as we all know, Lily had a tendency to overthink a lot of things. She would ponder the pros, the cons, the effect the object of said pondering would have on her day-to-day life, and whether or not it would result in the apocalypse (preferably a zombie one).

Love potions – yeah, expect the end of the universe as we know it, folks.

Twenty minutes after that earlier incident found the three girls clustered together at the Gryffindor table, eating their breakfast and complaining about the Friday timetable.

‘Double Potions!’ Marley groaned. ‘I’d rather keep my face intact, thanks.’

‘Don’t forget that we’ve got double History after that,’ Kayla teased. ‘And DADA, and then you’ve got Arithmancy . . .’

‘Shut up! Shut _uuupppp . . ._ ’ Marley’s forehead hit the table with a dull _thunk_ , and she let out a siren-like groan. ‘Damn my life . . .’

Kayla giggled, and Lily smirked as she poured a pitcher of drink. After a moment however, she paused and stared in horror.

‘What is _up_ with this pumpkin juice?’ she asked incredulously, swirling it around in her goblet. ‘It’s pink, and it reeks of -’ She took a sniff, before scrunching up her nose. ‘Potter’s _hair_. It stinks like Potter’s hair, Marley!’

‘Your daydreams are messin’ with your ‘ead again, Lil,’ Marley muttered from beneath her mop of curls. It took Lily a moment to process the statement, but when she did her face flamed bright red and she socked her friend hard on the shoulder.

‘Don’t worry, Lily,’ Kayla said reassuringly. ‘All the pumpkin juice is pink. They changed the colour for the occasion. Though, how you know what James’ hair smells like is beyond me . . .’

‘It’s all that bloody cologne,’ the red head shot back defensively. ‘It’s not my fault he’s pungent!’

‘Okay, fair enough.’ Kayla bent forward and also rested her forehead on the table, squeezing her eyes shut and giggling a lot more than Lily appreciated. ‘But don’t worry. The pumpkin juice is _fine_. Don’t have a fit or anything.’

Lily pursed her lips disbelievingly and stared at the offending drink for a good twenty seconds. Then, finally, she sighed and took a reluctant sip.

It tasted fine, and with that, all her doubts vanished and she downed the rest of the drink in one go.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

‘We’re so _late_ ,’ Kayla groaned, dragging Marley by the wrist down the corridor. ‘Why did Lily leave us behind?’

‘We pissed her off,’ Marley replied simply, leaning back on her heels and skidding along the stone floor. She grinned as Kayla turned and glared, before tossing her curly hair around in a motion that she apparently deemed sassy. Kayla sighed, before letting go and bounding down the steps to the dungeon. Marley followed behind at her own leisure.

‘Come _on!_ Slughorn’s going to be – where are they?’

She stared dumbly at the empty classroom she had just skidded into. Marley strolled in behind her, hands clasped behind her back.

‘Where’s what? Oh. Well, hey, we’re not late.’

Kayla turned and frowned. ‘ _Yeah,_ butwedon’tknowherewe’resupposedTO _BE!_ ’

Marley held her hands up defensively. ‘Woah. Cool it, Feisty Pants.’

The other girl sighed. ‘Come on. Let’s check in all the classrooms.’

And thus, a routine began. They went out into the corridor and started looking in all the other abandoned rooms, trying to find any trace of their classmates. Finally, they pushed open a particularly rusty door, which took the full strength of both the girls to open.

‘I don’t think they’re in here,’ Kayla muttered through gritted teeth as she gave the reluctant door a final shove. It swung open with a low creak, and an odour wafted out.

‘Hey, there’s dust bunnies in here,’ Marley commented, walking in and looking around curiously.

Kayla wrinkled her nose confusedly as she inhaled the scent. ‘Why does it smell like Remus?’

Marley laughed. ‘Are you kidding? It’s definitely Sirius. Only _he_ reeks like this.’

Kayla shook her head. ‘Remus doesn’t wear cologne, though. Well, if he does it’s definitely not overpowering or anything.’

‘Whereas Sirius practically drowns you in his smell if you come within ten metres of him,’ Marley finished. ‘And this is it.’

Kayla frowned. ‘Where’s it coming from? And why can we smell different things?’

Marley shrugged. ‘Beats me.’ She stood on tiptoe, then suddenly said, ‘Hey, over there.’

‘What?’

She went flat-footed again and skipped across the room. ‘There’s a cauldron hidden in behind here.’ With that, she nudged a bookcase away from the wall and dragged the object out.

‘Love potion?’ Kayla said curiously, as she approached and saw the pink, bubbling liquid. ‘Someone’s keen.’

‘I dunno, it seems different to normal,’ Marley answered, still poking around behind the shelves. ‘Look, I found a book here. It looks recently used.’ She pulled it out and flipped it open to the most bent part of the spine. ‘And check it, love potion instructions.’

‘Pass it here.’ She did, and Kayla studied it for a moment. ‘That’s why it seems different. It’s not one that makes a person like a certain individual. It makes you fall in “love” with the first person you properly interact with.’

‘But who’s making it?’

Kayla flipped to the front of the book, before reading the scribbled handwriting and frowning in confusion. ‘Huh . . . ?’

‘What? Who?’ Marley was bouncing around on the balls of her feet, looking like a cat that had caught a mouse. ‘Whoooooo?’

‘I . . . don’t know.’

‘What, doesn’t it say anything?’

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that . . .’

‘Show me.’

Shaking her head incredulously, Kayla passed Marley the textbook. Not long after she did, her friend was wearing the exact same expression. There wasn’t a specific name on the front of the book, and Kayla had no idea why. Instead, there were words.

_This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince._

* * *

 

** Lily **

Lily was bored. The potion they were supposed to be making was mundanely easy, and she had finished it all of ten minutes ago. Even with the change of classroom (one of the sixth years had blown a hole in the floor by accident. The area was being left alone until all traces of explosive and toxic potion were removed), she had nothing to do. Each one seemed to be an exact replica of another, so all she could do was try to read the spines of the books on the shelf a couple of metres away. The only other person who was finished was Severus, but seemed to be preoccupied with trying to find a book in his bag. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. Despite the fact that she hated Valentine’s Day, she had a nice note written for him sitting up in the dormitory, and was deliberately avoiding him until she had a chance to give it to him first. He had seemed like he needed a bit of cheering up lately, so she made an obvious effort.

Kayla and Marley hadn’t turned up yet. She knew why – they obviously hadn’t been informed about the change of classroom, and were probably wandering aimlessly around the dungeons. Lily had half a mind to go search for them, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. In fact, she hadn’t spoken to a single person since she’d left the Great Hall. This sudden grumpiness probably had something to do with her upset stomach and pounding headache, so that was no surprise to her. They would turn up on their own, eventually.

Ironically, that was right when the door burst open and two dishevelled looking teenage girls meandered in, covered in dust and bringing a strong smell with them. Lily sniffed and blinked in confusion. They smelt exactly like her pumpkin juice that morning.

With hurried apologies to Professor Slughorn, they dumped their bags on the floor beside Lily’s table and sat down.

‘You’ll never believe what we just found,’ Marley said in a low voice, leaning in so their heads were close. ‘You’d go bonkers.’

Lily grimaced as the irritation in her stomach doubled, and a wave of light-headedness washed over her. ‘What?’

‘Love potion, in one of the abandoned classrooms. Someone’s been brewing it.’

Lily could only sigh. Marley blinked at her lack of reaction, and her eyes widened.

‘Well done, love!’ she said, grinning and giving her a one-armed hug. ‘You’ve learned to control your explosiveness!’

Just like that, all traces off illness suddenly vanished, and Lily could only blink stupidly. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach, like she’d missed a step going down a staircase, and she looked at Marley in surprise. However, the other girl had already turned to her textbook and was looking at it like it was written in another language.

Lily shook her head and deliberately looked away. When she did, she spotted Severus, who had clearly seen the interaction between the two girls. His eyes were wide with alarm.

 _What’s wrong?_ she mouthed. He shook his head and cast a worried look towards Marley, before looking down at the tabletop.

What?

Lily looked back at Marley, but when she did, she only got that funny feeling again. _Was she always that pretty?_

Sure she was. Lily just hadn’t . . . noticed before. Not really. She had always known _Kayla_ was a looker – she had that elfish sort of face and tiny stature; everything about her just screamed “adorable”. Marley was the crazy one. She had the wild hair and wily body frame – she was always bouncing around, playing Quidditch, and getting piggyback rides from Sirius. She never really sat still. That was probably why Lily hadn’t seen it before.

After a pause, she realised that wasn’t really true. She was just trying to make excuses.

Maybe Marley wasn’t exactly . . . _pretty_ . . . to the public eye. Well, sure, she was physically attractive from an angle, but she wasn’t over-the-top gorgeous. This was most likely just Lily’s opinion.

A recently-developed opinion.

This was just getting confusing. In short, it seemed that suddenly - in a spur of the moment decision - Lily had suddenly decided she found Marley a physically appealing individual. End of story.

But that didn’t explain the butterflies in her stomach.

Lily sighed and looked down at her completed potion. She couldn’t fancy Marley. She was her _best friend_. And besides, she had been certain until a minute ago that she only liked guys. After all (she’d never admit it), but she had a tiny crush on Remus in second year, and at the very start of fourth year she had fancied Amos Diggory. That meant she _had_ to like boys, right?

Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t so sure.

‘Are you okay, Lily?’ Kayla asked cautiously. ‘You look ill.’

‘I think I might be . . .’ Lily murmured in response. ‘But not . . . Merlin . . .’

Kayla sighed and a tiny smile crept across her lips. ‘Come on. I’ll take you to the Hospital Wing.’

A minute later, they were out of the classroom and walking through the dungeons.

‘So, do you think you have the flu, or just a head cold . . . or something possibly foreign and deadly?’

Lily just shrugged offhandedly. ‘I just feel poorly.’

‘In what sense?’

Lily didn’t speak for a long moment, and it took her a while to realise that Kayla had stopped in the middle of the corridor and was waiting for her to respond. She backtracked hurriedly so she was level with her again.

‘You like Remus, right? As in, really, _really_ like him?’

It was a hypothetical sort of question, but Kayla answered it anyway.

‘Yes. Of course I do. Why else would I be . . .’ She paused, and cocked her head. ‘Lily . . . ? Where’s this going?’

‘But he’s a guy. And it’s okay for you to be with him.’

‘What?’ Kayla blinked. ‘I-I guess so.’

‘Like, I mean -’ Lily waved her hands around for emphasis. ‘It’s socially acceptable. No one will discriminate against you for it.’

‘No. Lily, have you been overthinking again?’

‘Maybe. I’m just contemplating it.’ Then she started lying through her teeth. ‘Not that it has anything directly to do with me, but what if a girl liked . . . a girl?’

Kayla laughed slightly, seeming surprised. ‘Lily, that’s fine. In fact, I’d high-five her for it.’ Then she sobered. ‘Though I see where you’re coming from. People just don’t . . . understand.’

Lily shook her head. ‘No. They don’t. So . . . she would be afraid of admitting it. Then what would she do? Be miserable for the rest of her life?’

‘I’m sure society will see past its overlarge nose eventually,’ she replied. ‘But for the meantime . . . I don’t know. But this – do you have a friend back home like this or something?’

Lily seized the excuse immediately, grateful to have one fabricated for her. ‘Yes. She wrote to me the other day.’ More lying.

‘Hmm. Well, I think she should do something about it. Let it out. At first, people will judge her, because that’s what they do. But over time, if she sticks it out, all of the bad stuff will die away and she’ll be okay.’ She gave her a sideways smile. ‘I – I’m glad you trusted me with something like this, Lils.’

Lily smiled back, feeling confidence blooming in her chest. ‘Of course.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley was over it. Absolutely everything. But hey, it was Friday, and that was to be expected.

As was her routine on Friday afternoons, she had collapsed on her bed, face down, and was quite alone in the dormitory. As also was her routine, she let out a loud, wail/groan.

As usual, it was muffled by the bedsheets.

The weekend was more than welcome at that point in time.

Suddenly, quite _unlike_ her routine, the door creaked open and someone shuffled inside. Judging by the sound of their footsteps, they were miserable.

As soon as she noticed that, Marley sat up, sending her hair flying in a wave-like motion and whipping the bedpost rather violently.

‘Whassup, Lilykins?’

The second Lily looked up from her distraught-looking position in the middle of the floor, she seemed to realise Marley was there and turned bright red.

‘I – nothing.’

Marley shook her head and tutted. ‘That will not do, Your Ladyship. Come.’ She patted the spot beside her expectantly. ‘Sit by me, and bask in my glory.’

For some reason, Lily went even redder at that. Then, she reluctantly sat beside the blonde.

‘Inform this McKinnon of what the problemo is.’

There was a pause, then Lily shook her head.

‘Aww, c’mon!’ Marley wheedled. ‘I’m just so fabulous, you _know_ you want to tell me.’

‘You don’t want to know,’ Lily mumbled. ‘Trust me, you don’t. And I don’t even – I don’t – it’s complicated. I don’t know how it happened.’

‘How what happened?’

‘I . . . I like someone.’

Marley clapped her hands together. ‘Oh, goody! Tell me; does his name start with “James” and end with “Potter”?’

Lily blanched. ‘No. Merlin, _no_ . . . A-and that’s sort of part of the problem.’

Marley quirked an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’

Lily swallowed, looking green and quite like she was having a crap-tonne of inner conflict. ‘I don’t want to . . . talk . . . about it . . . right now . . .’

Marley spread her arms. ‘Okay. Coolies. Fine by me.’

Lily seemed startled that she’d backed off so quickly. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’ Marley’s lips upturned into a genuine expression. 

* * *

 

** Lily **

That damned smile was unnerving her. Usually, Marley was a grinner as opposed to a smiler, and it was a bit of a freaky change. Lily was _well and truly_ paying attention, and absorbing every single teeny tiny detail. How her chin dimpled. How her smile was _really_ crooked. How her cheekbones seemed fuller, making her eyes crinkle and emphasising her really long eyelashes. How she just seemed so . . . happy.

Marley was always happy. If she wasn’t, you should expect the apocalypse. Lily wished she could be the same.

And just like that, Lily felt a really strong urge to kiss her. She knew why – she just wished she could shove those emotions really far down inside her. It was weird, because anyone else she had fancied hadn’t seemed like _this_ before.

It felt different, and she had no idea why.

It couldn’t have been love, because she had legitimately fallen for this girl about six hours ago. Something like that took a lot longer to happen than just a quarter of a day.

. . . Right?

‘Hasn’t Kayla already taken you to the Hospital Wing today? You don’t look much better right now.’ Marley’s voice broke through her thoughts, and Lily shook her head in a rather comical manner, clearing her mind.

Or trying to, anyway.

Marley was _really_ fit . . .

‘I’ll be fine,’ she replied, her voice squeaking a little. A level of irrationality was building in her, and she felt like she couldn’t control acting upon those urges. Maybe it was the fact that they were both girls, and it was different to what Lily was used to. Maybe.

‘You sure?’

‘P . . . positive.’

‘Huh. Okay.’ Marley shrugged offhandedly and picked up _Quidditch through the Ages_ from her bedside table, before opening up to her bookmark and continuing to read.

Lily just stared at her.

‘You wanna say something?’ Marley hadn’t even looked up, but she could clearly tell the red-head was watching her.

And then Lily couldn’t help it. It just came out, like she had absolutely no control over her bodily functions. ‘I love you.’

Marley cracked a grin and straightened up, tossing the book to the side. ‘Aww, shucks. Love you too, Lil.’

Lily froze, then waved her arms around. ‘No, I mean it! I -!’

‘And you’re saying I _don’t?_ ’ Her grin was just getting bigger and bigger. She shook her head, blonde curls bouncing everywhere, and tutted. ‘Geez, you’re a bit insensitive, hon.’

Something inside her snapped. ‘ _Ugh!_ It’s not – Oh, for God’s sake!’ And just as though a puppet-master were pulling on her strings, Lily vaulted onto the bed, yanked Marley forward by the front of her robes, and kissed her.

It wasn’t just a peck, either. We’re talking about a full-on snog here, which lasted _at_ _least_ five seconds.

Marley quite promptly fell backwards off the bed the second Lily let go, eyes wide with shock. Lily made a noise of alarm and also hastily moved away, suddenly able to control herself again.

‘Oh _shit_ ,’ she whispered. ‘I’m sorry, I’m _so_ sorry -’

Before Marley could even respond, she ran back to her own four-poster, pulled the curtains tightly around it, and cast the strongest silencing charm she knew. And then, Lily Evans broke.

She had never cried harder in her life.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley legitimately did nothing for fifteen seconds. Her heart was hammering, and her lips tingling. She had completely lost the feeling in her fingertips.

_What the hell was that about?_

So she did the most rational thing she could think to do at that point in time. ‘ _KAYLA!_ ’

There was a crash from somewhere below in the Gryffindor common room, followed by a lot of clattering and the thumping of feet. Then Kayla threw the door open with enough force to knock over a rhinoceros, her face alarmed. ‘ _What? What happened?_ ’

‘Lily.’ Marley suddenly choked and pressed her fingers to her mouth. ‘Merlin, I don’t know. I –’ She felt tears begin to prick somewhere behind her eyes, and swallowed.

Kayla looked towards the drawn four-poster, then back at Marley. She sat beside her on the floor and ran her hand up and down her back comfortingly. ‘What happened?’

‘I – she’s never been like this before – she was acting all weirdly, so I asked about it, and she . . . I-I-I-I swear she never – I never -’ A strangled sob escaped her throat.

‘Shh. You’re not making sense.’

‘Sh-she said she loved me, or something like that, a-a-a-a-and then she _kissed me!_ Freaking _kissed me_ , Kayla!’

Kayla went white. ‘So she wasn’t talking about a “friend”.’

Marley blinked. ‘What?’ she asked, her voice thick.

‘Lily. She asked me earlier today about something related to this. She . . . she said it was to do with a friend back home.’

‘Obviously not,’ Marley muttered.

Kayla furrowed her brow, deep in thought. ‘She . . . no, she _definitely_ hasn’t behaved like this ever before. So what’s different?’ There was a pause, then her eyes widened in alarm. ‘Wait. _Oh no . . ._ ’

‘What?’

‘Her pumpkin juice. This morning. She said it smelt like James’ hair.’ Marley began to process that fact, and Kayla continued. ‘And we found that love potion when we were looking for the right class. Remember? It makes you fall in love upon interaction. We – no one talked to Lily after she drank that juice. And then we got to the classroom and you – you were the first one to talk to her – and . . . _shit_ . . .’

‘You think it’s a love potion?’ Marley asked, wiping her eyes. ‘That means it’ll wear off, yeah?’

‘Yes,’ Kayla said. ‘But, well, she _kissed you_. Merlin only knows what the after-effects will be . . .’

‘There shouldn’t be any,’ Marley said stoutly. ‘That’s the way those things work. She – she should be fine tomorrow . . . or whenever it wears off.’

Kayla looked at her, a concerned look on her face. ‘Are you worried about the fact that you’re both girls?’

Marley shook her head. ‘ _No_. I’m _worried_ about the fact that she’s one of my _best friends_ , and this could potentially botch it up!’

Kayla exhaled heavily through her teeth. ‘Well, neither of you are at fault. This only happened because of that damned Half-Blood Prince, whoever he is.’

Marley growled. ‘He probably spiked the bloody drink, trying to make Lily fall in love with _him_ , but he just didn’t get to her on time! I swear to God, I’ll . . .’ She trailed off.

Kayla nodded. ‘Probably. Now come on. Let’s clear this up with Lily.’ She got to her feet and helped Marley up, and the two of them climbed into their friend’s four poster. Lily was curled up in the middle of the bed, her body wracked with sobs. Kayla wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, and Marley sat opposite her. Upon their entrance, Lily only proceeded to cry even harder.

‘It’s okay, Lil,’ Kayla said soothingly. ‘We think we know what happened.’

‘I-I-I swear I d-didn’t mean to,’ she choked, the sentence getting lost somewhere between her knees.

‘Don’t worry, we know. Marley’s okay with it; see?’

Lily tentatively looked up, and when she did, Marley flashed her a smile and a little finger-wave. ‘You just scared me, that’s all. It’s fine. Promise.’

Lily looked like she didn’t want to believe her.

‘Really, you’re a fetching bird, Lily. I’m honestly very flattered. But, I’ve got your name put with James’ on a bunch of invites for your future wedding sitting at the bottom of my trunk, so I _really_ don’t think this’ll work out.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘It’s a bummer, ‘cause you’re a fantastic snogger - if I do say so myself.’

Lily gave a watery laugh.

‘We think your pumpkin juice was spiked with love potion this morning,’ Kayla said. ‘That’s why you “love” Marley.’

Lily paused, like she was processing the statement. ‘Th-that makes sense. I couldn’t really control what I was doing. I -’ An angry look crossed her face. ‘ _Love potions! What did I say, huh? HUH?’_

‘Yes, Lily dear,’ Marley droned. ‘You were most definitely right. You are now the supreme overlord of the three of us.’

Lily harrumphed _._ ‘Thought so.’

Kayla laughed.

‘So, we’re okay?’ Marley said.

Lily nodded. ‘Yes. I . . . thank you.’

‘Come on,’ Kayla said, taking Lily by the wrist. ‘Let’s go see Professor Slughorn. He’ll give you an antidote. Coming, Marley?’

Marley shook her head. ‘I’ll be there in a moment.’

So Kayla and Lily both went to the door, with the latter seeming much happier than she had beforehand. ‘I must put it out in the open before I’m given back my common sense,’ Lily cried dramatically just before leaving. ‘You, Miss McKinnon, have the _loveliest_ eyes!’

Kayla snorted and accidentally butted her head into the doorframe. Marley responded with equal drama. ‘And _you_ , Miss Evans, are by far one of the fairest birds to roam the land! I shall dearly miss your affection!’

‘ _Ha!_ You know you won’t!’

‘Ah, you know me too well! Now go! Be free!’

‘And that I shall!’

That was the last thing she could say before Kayla dragged her down the staircase. Marley sat there, cross-legged on the bed, and pondered the events of the last ten minutes.

_Hmm. My first snog was with a sheila._

‘I’m gettin’ more outta life than Sirius _bloody_ Black could ever hope for.’

She punched the air in triumph.

‘Right on!’


	66. Year 4 - Ooh, Murder!

**_ 66 – Ooh, Murder! _ **

** Lily **

‘I will _get_ him for this.’

‘Don’t worry about it. I already have.’

‘Really?’

‘Mmm hmm.’

‘You’re amazing.’

Lily tossed him a playful smile. ‘I know.’

Severus shuffled his satchel further up his shoulder and scuffed his feet against the ground. ‘He’s -’

‘An arrogant, self-centred git who can’t tell right from wrong,’ Lily finished, smirking a little. ‘Again, I know.’

He sighed. ‘I think he’s coming back with reinforcements.’

‘ _Let_ them come.’ Lily squared herself on the bench they were sitting on, and crossed her arms. ‘It seemed too pretty a day to be real, anyway.’

Severus laughed, apparently surprising himself as much as her. ‘And why is that?’

She pointed skywards. ‘ _Look!_ The clouds are _literally_ shaped like bunny rabbits.’

‘I guess so. And that one looks like a doxy.’

‘There’s a turtle.’

‘Make that two.’

‘Oh, yeah.  And that one’s a pineapple.’

‘Really? I don’t – oh.’

‘Oi! Snivellus! Ginge!’

Both of them wrenched their gaze away from the sky and groaned in unison. James Potter was swaggering towards them from across the courtyard, flanked by Sirius, Remus and Peter.

‘I’ll have you know, I really didn’t appreciate having jelly legs just then.’ He smirked at them. ‘Evans, you really have to let your charity case take care of himself. He’s a big boy now.’

Lily felt her face flush, and she glared. ‘I’m sure _you_ wouldn’t know the difference between a “charity case” and a _real_ friend, Potter, since you spend so much of your time drowning in your own damned money!’

Potter smirked, and raised a single eyebrow. ‘Oh? And you would know about that, _how_ , Evans? Been noticing me a little more than you’d care to think, hmm?’

‘You wish.’

‘I think it’s the other way around, Red,’ Sirius put in with a grin. ‘Don’t think I didn’t catch you staring at him in Charms the other day.’

Lily choked. ‘He _literally_ set himself on fire! _Everyone_ was looking!’

‘Bad topic, Padfoot,’ Potter muttered under his breath.

‘And besides,’ Lily continued, ‘it’s common knowledge that your family is _so_ filthy rich that no one needs to get a job. Only, you all have them anyway just so you look good!’

‘I’d watch my tongue if I were you, Ginger,’ Potter replied loftily, though his eyes had a spark in them she had never seen before. ‘You seem to be having trouble telling the difference between good and bad people at the moment.’ He spared a careless glance in Severus’ direction. ‘Though you _yourself_ . . . You’re not as lovely as everyone says you are, are you, Evans?’

Lily narrowed her eyes. ‘Excuse you?’

He spread his arms dramatically. ‘Don’t play dumb, didn’t you just hex me? It was not even _five_ minutes ago!’

‘Well _you_ emptied a bucket of fish on Sev’s head!’ she shot back.

Potter clicked his tongue. ‘“Sev”. That’s _so_ cute.’

Behind him, Remus rolled his eyes with obvious weariness, and Peter and Sirius were having a play-wrestle. Potter seemed to be oblivious to it.

‘Anyway, Sirius says he found a rhyme that describes you perfectly. And, I’ve got to say that I agree. It’s a Muggle one; you should be familiar with it.’ He pulled a folded scrap of paper out of his pocket and opened it, before clearing his throat dramatically. ‘There once was a girl with a copper curl, right in the middle of her forehead.’ He reached out and twisted one of Lily’s locks around his finger with a grin. She slapped him away instinctively, and he burst into laughter before continuing. ‘When she was good, she was _very_ very good, but when she was bad she was _HORRID_.’ He refolded the parchment. ‘Sound familiar?’

Lily felt as though she were slowly being filled with boiling water. She knew that rhyme, all right; it was the one Petunia used to dance around singing after Lily found out she was a witch. It made the feeling of losing her best friend so much worse, especially when her sister would laugh right after doing it.

Hearing Potter recite it hit home. _Very hard._

‘ _Don’t. You dare. Speak. To me. AGAIN!’_

Potter’s eyebrows flew up his forehead at her enormous outburst; clearly he hadn’t expected her reaction to be that bad. She reached for her wand, but Severus got there before her.

‘ _Levicorpus!_ ’

With a yelp, Peter went up into the air, suspended by his ankle. With a groan and a pointed look at Severus, Remus went to his aid.

Potter glared. ‘Where’d you pick that one up anyway, Snivelly? Seems the whole school knew about it by second year.’

Severus scoffed, a glare heavy on his features. ‘And you would know about _that_ , Potter.’

Potter ruffled his hair, making it stick up even more than usual, before twirling his wand between his fingers. ‘What makes you think you know anything?’

‘Because I’m _clever_.’

Sirius snorted, now paying attention since his wrestling mate was hanging in mid-air. ‘You _wish_ , slimeball. There’s nothing going on in _your_ head.’

‘Shut _up_ ,’ Lily hissed, who had only just been starting to cool down a little. ‘Shut the _hell UP_ , Black! Come on, Sev. We’re going.’

Potter could only gape after them as Lily made a dramatic exit, dragging Severus by the wrist, clearly wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

 

Half an hour later found Lily sitting in the Library by herself (Sev had vanished to go find his friends and nurse his ego. Git.), scuffing her feet against the carpet, _A Detailed Guide to Household Charms_ open in her lap, and fuming.

‘Bloody males. They’re so _stupid_. I hate them. I hate them, I hate them, I hate them . . . oh, shut up . . .’ She was glad she was in her own little isolated corner; it must have looked odd, considering she was talking to herself.

Staring blankly at the page, Lily continued to brood, plaiting sections of her hair and tugging on them absent-mindedly. She was vaguely aware of someone whispering in the shelves around her, but she ignored it, continuing to mutter and genuinely considering committing murder before running for the hills.

This actually became a rather interesting topic to ponder.

She looked up at the shelves opposite her and began reading the spines of the books, starting a game that involved incorporating their titles into her homicide plans.

 _Intermediate Charms . . . The History of Charms . . . Charming the Unwitting . . ._ a pair of eyes _. . . Charms throughout the Ages . . ._ wait, what?  
‘Alice?’

Alice Prewett grinned through the bookshelf at her. ‘You look remarkably deadly today, Lil,’ she giggled.

‘I know,’ Lily agreed tiredly. ‘I’m considering mass murder.’

‘Need help?’

‘It would be appreciated.’

‘I’ll help you pack for when you need to make a run for it.’

Another set of bright blue eyes appeared in the space beside her, looking rather perplexed. ‘What, now?’

‘Hush, Mary,’ Alice hissed. ‘We’re going on a killing spree. Don’t tell anyone.’

A third set appeared on Alice’s other side, green this time. ‘Ooh, who’re we killing?’

‘Good point,’ Alice realised. ‘Who’s the problem, Lily?’

‘The male population,’ Lily sighed. ‘Every last one of them. They need to be culled.’

‘Except Frank.’

‘. . . mmm, I don’t know . . .’

‘ _Lily_ . . .’

‘Fine. Frank can live. But the rest of them have to die.’

‘What now?’ Lily looked up as someone prodded her shoulder. Kayla had just parked herself on the back of Lily’s armchair, looking rather surprised. ‘Everything I’ve overheard in the last ten seconds has been rather disturbing. Do tell.’

‘Yes, please do,’ Mary (blue eyes) prodded.

‘Only if you stop looking through the shelves at me like hawks,’ Lily replied.

The three sets of eyes all exchanged glances, before disappearing.

‘Does Remus have to die, too?’ Kayla asked conversationally, peering over at the book Lily was reading.

‘I’m afraid so. Sorry.’

‘I’m fine with it. Don’t worry.’

Lily cracked a small grin. ‘Some girlfriend you are.’

She shrugged, starting to laugh. ‘I love him so much that I’m able to give him up for the greater good,’ she joked. ‘It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make if it results in the life-long happiness of Lily Evans.’

Lily blinked owlishly. ‘ _What_ was that word I just heard? Did you say -’

A hard-backed wooden chair with the feet transfigured into wheels skidded to a stop in front of them, cutting off the rest of Lily’s question. Alice was perched on said chair, grinning like the Cheshire cat. ‘So! Murder plans! I’ve got plenty, I must say, though any other contributions are more than welcome.’ Her two friends sidled up behind her. Mary was a short girl with a sweet face, light brown hair that came to her shoulders, and curves that made Lily instantly jealous. The green-eyed girl beside her had blonde hair in two long braids down her back and glasses. She had an air of slight awkwardness around her that instantly reminded Lily of Kayla before she had opened up. All the same, though, she was grinning a little like she couldn’t wait to find out what the result of this conversation was.

Alice saw Lily looking. ‘Right. Lil, this is Mary McDonald -’ She pointed. ‘- and Elizabeth Prewett.’ She then gestured to the blonde. ‘Lizzie’s my cousin, before you start asking questions.’ She then directed her attention to her friends, now pointing at Lily. ‘That’s the famous Lily Evans, and Kayla Edwards.’

‘Famous?’ Lily asked incredulously, as Kayla started to laugh. ‘ _Famous?_ ’

‘Also known as James Potter’s reason for existence,’ Alice finished with a grin.

‘ _Oi!_ ’  
‘And in return, she wants to commit mass murder because of him. Go figure.’ Mary burst into raucous peals of laughter at this, only spurring the blonde further. Lily hurried to intervene, feeling the conversation beginning to spiral out of control.

‘Just please, _stop talking_.’

‘Aye, aye, capt’n.’

Lily sighed tiredly, unable to keep from smiling slightly. ‘Why do I put up with you?’

‘Beats me.’

Kayla was regarding Elizabeth with an expression of slight interest. Elizabeth herself was hovering awkwardly off to the side, seemingly in two minds about either joining the conversation or remaining silent. Kayla’s eyebrows drew inwards, like they did when she was thinking, and after a moment she spoke.

‘I swear I know you from somewhere.’

Elizabeth gave a violent jump, before blushing slightly. Lily marvelled at it. She legitimately _did_ seem to be a blonde version of Kayla. ‘I – I don’t think so.’ She gave a nervous grin. ‘I don’t really . . . get around much.’

‘Are you muggleborn?’

She shook her head. ‘Pureblood.’

‘Oh.’ Kayla’s face fell slightly. ‘Right. Never mind, then. I’m probably just dreaming.’

‘Oh geez, we’re getting deep here.’ Alice gave an awkward laugh. ‘What happened to murder plots?’

‘Nothing.’ Kayla waved her off. ‘Moving on.’

‘Is this about the pureblood thing?’ Mary asked curiously, very pointedly _not_ moving on. ‘Because we’re not prejudiced, if that’s what you’re worried about. In fact, there are a few good families out there who aren’t. I mean, look at your friend McKinnon.’

Kayla seemed to contemplate this, before nodding in agreement. ‘I suppose.’

‘Wait, you’re muggleborn?’ Elizabeth asked.

She nodded.

‘That’s cool!’ A tiny grin split her face. ‘My cousin, Molly; her husband has this _massive_ interest in Muggles. We share the same enthusiasm for the function of rubber ducks.’

Both Lily and Kayla then proceeded to choke, looks of utter shock plastered across their faces. Alice burst into laughter at their expressions, while Mary regarded Elizabeth with a look of confusion.

‘Wait, that Weasley guy?’

‘Yeah.’ Elizabeth started to giggle. ‘He’s funny. Gideon and Fabian – he confuses them _so_ much.’

‘And _you_ are confusing _me_ ,’ Mary responded. ‘Let’s not get too deep into family trees, yeah?’

‘Hon, if anyone’s family tree is hectic, it’s mine,’ a new voice cut in. Lily barely had time to react before Marley rather unceremoniously hoisted herself onto her shoulders – while the former was _still_ sitting in her armchair. Lily let out a slight grunt at the weight, before sighing.

‘ _What_ are you doing here?’

‘I was lonely. I couldn’t find anyone. So I looked for you. It worked. You’re here. I’m here. We’re here together, now. And so’s Brownbraid. And . . . whoever these people are.’

‘Friendly acquaintances,’ Kayla supplied. Lily gave a nod of agreement, which Marley couldn’t see.

‘Pleasure, McKinnon,’ Mary said dryly, her eyes sparkling with slight amusement. ‘I suppose I ought to point it out to you that our “family trees” are interconnected. And, that unlike you, I actually _know_ who I’m related to.’

Marley grinned. ‘You. I like you. You’re sassy. Good going, whoever you are.’

‘Mary,’ she replied with a sigh. ‘Mary McDonald.’

‘ . . . _wait . . ._ it rings a bell . . .’

‘ _Aaaaand_ while we leave Marley to figure that one out . . .’ Alice started, ‘what about those murder plans, again?’

‘I’m thinking about tossing them off the Astronomy Tower,’ Lily replied. ‘Effective, and you get satisfaction out of hearing them scream on the trip down.’

Marley, who had been trying to count on her fingers in an attempt to draw conclusions out of Mary’s earlier statement, perked up. ‘ _Ooh, murder!’_

Kayla sighed. ‘What sadistic women we are. Well done, ladies.’

 


	67. Year 4 - C'est La Vie

**_ 67 – C’est La Vie _ **

** Kayla **

‘Can I go die in a hole, please?’ Lily mumbled as she examined herself in the mirror, before fixing one of her many hairpins and sighing in defeat. ‘One that doesn’t require social events?’

‘It’ll be over in a few hours,’ Kayla replied apologetically. ‘We’ll get out of there as soon as we can. Promise.’

‘Send me a distress signal by carrier pigeon if it gets too bad,’ Marley chimed in from her position on her bed. ‘The boys and I’ll come to the rescue; we’ll burst in dramatically with our brooms, swoop down, pick you up, and fly away again, maybe with a bit of theatrical snogging thrown in the case of a few certain people. Easy.’

Kayla burst into laughter, and Lily’s cheeks flushed to a rosy colour before she too reluctantly joined in. Kayla wasn’t an idiot, she could tell that even after all these weeks, her emotions towards Marley hadn’t changed since the love potion incident. Marley, on the other hand, was back in the land of unicorns and fairy princesses; thus completely oblivious. Hopefully the holidays would give the poor girl a chance to recover from some of the emotional scarring.

‘C’mon, one more week,’ Kayla said in an effort to distract her. ‘Then we’re free.’

Lily looked away from Marley, and gradually the blush subsided. ‘Can’t wait. Sort of. If you exclude Petunia, that is.’

‘Hear, hear,’ Marley agreed. ‘Now give us a twirl. Both of you.’

Lily hesitated, before shuffling her feet with heavy clumping noises, turning on the spot. The skirt of her gold, knee-length dress flared around her despite the jerkiness, and cast light spots around the room. Kayla then followed in suit, letting her slightly longer green dress perform a similar action.

Marley whistled, cat like grin in place, and leaned back into her pillows. ‘Very schmexy. Lils, keep all males away from Brownbraid tonight, please. And perhaps some of the female population too, while you’re at it. Make sure no one other than Remus comes within three feet of her.’

This time Kayla was the one who blushed, while Lily burst into laughter.

‘I’m not attractive or anything!’ Kayla stuttered, suddenly feeling the desire to wrap herself up in one of Hagrid’s enormous overcoats.

‘Liar.’

‘I’m not! I don’t want to be; I don’t _want_ to look good!’ The blush was bypassing pink and turning maroon. She just _knew_ it.

Marley shrugged, her grin spreading even wider. ‘C’est la vie. Tis tragic, Brownbraid; I always thought you were the sensible one out of all of us.’

Lily made a loud squawk of indignation, before flinging a pillow at her. Marley dodged it with ease before leaping to her feet and shoving the other two in the general direction of the door. ‘Go! Get outta here! I don’t wanna see your faces until I have to! Buh-bye!’

And with one final nudge, the two of them went stumbling down the staircase, fancy dresses and all.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley wasn’t bitter or anything.

Gosh, no.

She wouldn’t have gone to any of Slughorn’s parties if you’d paid her. He was _way_ too intolerable, not to mention he didn’t like her, and thought she had the IQ of a shrimp.

(Though, if we were going to be honest, she probably did.)

But, she wasn’t going to tell anyone that she kinda wanted an excuse to wear a pretty dress as well. She’d only ever dressed up for formal extended-family dinners and balls, and even then it was only because her mother forced her to. When able to do it of her own free will, and be with her friends, it was actually an alright prospect.

And, ironically, that was the only time she _wasn’t_ supposed to. She’d done her best to ignore it all, yeah, and if we were gonna be honest, she’d done pretty well. Only now, she had nothing to do in their absence. Usually Quidditch practice had done a good job of distracting her.

With a tiny sigh, Marley sat cross-legged in the middle of her bed again. She stared at the wall for a minute, trying to make an imprint of the cracked stone in her mind. Alas, it didn’t work, seeing that she didn’t have very good photographic memory. Then she started fiddling with the ropes that held back her four-poster curtains, swinging them around like a lasso. This proved to be an entertaining pastime, until she accidentally smacked herself in the face and started seeing stars.

She got off the bed after that.

Finally, with few other options, she went in search of James and Sirius. She found the latter first – he was sleeping on the largest couch in the common room, spread out across it and clearly not willing to give any space up. Obviously he didn’t intend to be joined.

Marley did exactly that. She grabbed his legs, picked them up, and sat down in their place before letting them go again. He didn’t wake up, so she stared absently around at the newer scenery. Then, believe it or not, she started to think. She wondered about life and death, the meaning of existence, what the scores for the last Hollyhead Harpies match were, what would happen if you tried to squeeze the guts out of fishing bait, what would happen if she set Sirius’ leg hair on fire, and then resumed questioning the meaning of life. In fact, she’d started to worry she was bordering on having an existential crisis when James plopped down in the armchair opposite her.

‘Whaddup?’

‘Hmm?’

‘. . . What . . . is . . . up?’

She glanced up at the ceiling for a second, before realising the actual meaning of his question. ‘Oh, right. Um . . . not much.’

‘And Sleeping Beauty?’ He nudged his head in Sirius’ direction.

‘Dead to the world. You?’

‘Just got rid of that bloody Bertha Jorkins. She was following me around, trying to figure out what happened with Claire.’ He shook his head. ‘She’s psycho.’

Marley winced sympathetically. ‘Bummer. But hey, she’s leaving this year, isn’t she?’

‘Is she?’ James brightened at that, and Marley moved onto the next topic of conversation.

‘What would happen if I put fire to these insanely hairy legs?’

‘He’d singe,’ he deadpanned. ‘ _Obviously._ Trust me, I know.’

Marley quirked an eyebrow, deciding not to question, before adding, ‘And if I gave him a bath in gasoline?’

‘He’d go off like a bonfire.’

‘Ooh.’ Sadistic thoughts began forming in her mind. ‘I wanna try it.’

James shook his head, running a hand over his face. ‘It’s been a long day. Maybe try something a bit less deadly.’

Marley gave him her best disappointed pout, but his resolve didn’t waver. Finally she huffed and looked away, trying to come up with another idea.

‘You could pluck his eyebrows,’ James offered.

An thought then suddenly crossed her train of thought, and she grinned, getting to her feet. ‘I’ve got a better idea,’ she said. ‘Be back in a mo’.’

With that she shot up the girls’ staircase, before doing a hunt around their dormitory, collecting a jar, her wand, and a box of waxing strips. Then, quicker than she could really process the ingenuity of her idea, she was back in the common room, comfortably in her position beneath Sirius’ legs.

‘What’s that?’ James asked curiously, looking at the box in her hand.

‘Guess,’ she replied, more focused on lighting a fire inside her jar.

‘. . . erm . . .’ He looked genuinely confused until she pulled out the container of wax with a flourish. Then he grinned. ‘Ah.’

‘Mmm hmm.’ She nodded knowingly, before passing both items to him. ‘Melt the wax, would’ja?’ He obliged, and she spent a moment trying to read the instructions, having never done this before. That didn’t last long, as soon after she could be found feeding them to the little blue flames James was now minding. ‘Stuff that. I’ll work it out.’ The then gave the order for James to start pasting the wax on Sirius’ legs. Completely oblivious, the latter continued to sleep, actually letting out a slight snore at one point.

Not for long, though.

Marley then patted on a strip, let it dry, and exchanged an evil look with James. The grin on his face couldn’t possibly have been any wider, and the same went for her. He held up a finger. _One_.

She mirrored it, then putting up a second. _Two_.

_Three._

With a vicious yank, she ripped the strip off his leg.

‘ _FU-!’_ As Sirius barrelled into an upright position, swearing like a sailor and looking around wildly, Marley dove for cover. James clearly decided it would be a good idea to do the same, and the two of them ended up on the shaggy rug in a heap. ‘ _WHAT THE – MARLEY!_ ’

Marley and James dissolved into hysterical fits of laughter as Sirius rubbed the clearly stinging flesh on his thigh and whined in a dog-like manner. This only spurred them further, to the point where Marley was actually crying, she was laughing so hard.

‘That was – oh Merlin – that was bloody -’

‘I hate you, I hate you, _I hate you_ ,’ Sirius stressed, drawing his legs protectively in towards his body. ‘And now I’ve got a funny bit! Look!’

The other two took one glance at the perfectly rectangular, hairless patch of leg, and went into another round of unstoppable cackling.

‘Your _face_ , Sirius -’ James choked, wiping his streaming eyes. ‘I can’t – my god . . .’

Sirius pulled a particularly emotive expression, before getting to his feet and poking his tongue at the two of them. ‘I’m finding Moony. Invite or no, I’m going to that bloody party where I’m _safe_ from you hooligans.’ He flipped them off for good measure, and flounced out the portrait hole.

‘Drama queen!’ Marley shouted after him. She could have sworn he then said something very rude in response, and started laughing hysterically once more. James didn’t hesitate to join.

* * *

 

** Lily **

Very little happed in those last few days. Their exam results came back, and everyone passed their subjects with reasonable grades. In fact, Sirius once again aced Muggle Studies and was so happy, that he took Kayla by the arm and told her that he was going to take her for a fly around the Quidditch pitch as means of thanks for helping him achieve that grade. Kayla reluctantly agreed, and he’d taken off, tugging her along with him. Remus had jokingly called out after them, saying that he wanted them back before midnight. Lily commented on his maturity for not getting over-protective, and he very nearly swelled with pride.

Later on, Kayla told her that she had enjoyed herself, much to her surprise. When Sirius had first gotten on the broom and told her to hold onto him, she had been wary, and the first five minutes in the air she was all but shrieking, but after that she had relaxed, taken in the view and revelled at the feeling of the wind rushing past. So, as a result, this little trip went a _bit_ longer than initially intended. Lily shook her head disappointedly and told her that she may have been getting Quidditch fever. Kayla blanched.

On the second last day, the morning before they were due to leave, Marley had decided to stuff her mouth full of strawberries. Lily failed to comprehend the logic of this action, and told her friend that she was temporarily disowned, but Marley was unfazed.  In fact, she decided she was going to leave the fruits there for as long as she could refrain from eating them, and transfigured her plate into a little blackboard she could write on. And thus, she improved her abysmal spelling ability by repeatedly writing disgusting swear words over and over again.

Lily promptly got up and left.

However, an event that occurred later that day well and truly pushed that incident out of her mind. Lily had wandered up to her dormitory, fully intending to take a shower, pack up the last of her things, and crash for the night. Unfortunately, Marley had apparently tossed her belongings in every possible direction at some point during the day, as Lily accidentally kicked her foot on a cauldron when she walked in.

Hissing and swearing in a manner that would make Petunia cringe, she picked up the offending object and barged into the bathroom, now wanting that shower more than ever. But, when she opened the door, something made her stop in her tracks.

Sirius, who was in the bathroom, silently screamed. Lily also screamed (in absolute horror) and reacted instinctively, making to smack him over the head with whatever was in her hands.

This happened to be the cauldron.

‘What are you _doing_ here?’ she shrieked as he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Obviously, she didn’t get a response, so she tossed the cauldron aside and did the most logical thing she could think to do about this situation.

After dragging his limp body over to the towel rails bolted to the wall, Lily grabbed a few towels, tied them firmly around his wrists, and secured him in place. It would be bad if he woke up and poked around in here more than he ought to.

Standing back, Lily wondered for a brief second how the _hell_ he’d even gotten in here. Then she remembered that he was _Sirius Black_ , shook her head incredulously, and wandered out in search for Marley.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley (who Lily never actually _found_ , mind you) just so happened to waltz into that very same bathroom five minutes later. She beheld the sight at the towel rack before her with nothing but utter shock, before quickly recovering, shrugging in nonchalance, and balancing a roll of toilet paper on Sirius’ limp head. She then left and went downstairs to use Alice and Mary’s bathroom instead.

* * *

 

** Remus **

And thus, the year was over.

Hufflepuff won the house cup (much to their stunned delight) and once more, James and Sirius failed to comprehend that _they_ were the reason Gryffindor had been lacking so many points. They started to loudly shout their objections, before realising that Gryffindor had instead won the _Quidditch_ cup, and performing last year’s dance routine once again, completely from memory.

Remus wondered how they did that.

The morning after found the four Marauders crammed into their usual compartment on the train, James and Sirius playing Exploding Snap, and Remus teaching Peter some of the finer points of wizard’s chess. None of them mentioned the fact that Sirius was going back to the place he hated most, though they were all thinking about it. The man himself was pretending he hadn’t realised, but Remus could sense the tension building as they got closer to King’s Cross.

Halfway through the trip, Marley dramatically threw open the sliding door, her hair cracking with _literal_ electricity. Several seconds of shocked silence followed this, before she said (in a most deadpan voice), ‘I nearly turned Claire, Imogen, Bertha Jorkins, Lockhart, Snape, and half of the Slytherin house into roast chickens. I await your praise.’

There was more silence, before it was broken by a loud crack as her gold curls touched the metal doorframe. Marley yelped the intense zap caused her to jerk violently, before falling over on top of Sirius. After that she apparently decided to give up on existing, and wouldn’t move.

‘Well done, Marley,’ James finally said.

When they arrived at the station, Sirius looked up with a grim look. He started to pack away the Exploding Snap with motions lacking his usual gusto, and was about to stand up dejectedly when Marley promptly looped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

‘You don’t have to go home,’ she told him. James immediately looked over, and started nodding in agreement.

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Come with me.’

‘Regulus,’ Sirius replied simply, and James’ shoulders drooped. As arguments from previous years went to prove, Sirius Black wouldn’t abandon his brother. There was no point trying to convince him otherwise.

As soon as he stepped out onto the platform, Remus spotted Kayla, who had just gotten off with Lily at the other end of the train. Their eyes met, and she started to make her way over to him as fast as her awkward luggage would allow. Chance was clearly protesting against these vigorous movements, as his cage kept smacking against her hip with every stride.

‘Promise you’ll write?’ he asked anxiously, as soon as they were less than a metre away from each other.

‘Of course, silly,’ she said. ‘When haven’t I?’

‘True. And can I see you at some point?’

She gave him a tongue touched grin. ‘I don’t see why not.’

‘Okay.’ He paused in awkward silence, before she dumped Chance’s cage on top of her trunk and spread her arms. He pulled her into a tight hug, and she buried her face in his collarbone.

‘I’ll miss you,’ she said quietly.

‘Same here,’ he replied.

They stayed like that for a short moment, before she finally said, ‘I think Mum’ll be here soon. I’d better . . . get going.’

Remus picked up on the hint instantly. Kayla’s mother had no idea that they were together, and they both weren’t too fussed about their parent’s knowing _quite_ yet. She inclined her head and he took that opportunity to kiss her softly, albeit for a fairly extended period of time.

Finally, a hissed whisper of, ‘Oi! PDA, lovebirds. You’re getting some onlookers,’ brought them both back to earth. Marley was standing with her arms crossed by Kayla’s shoulder, looking around anxiously. ‘And by the way, your mum’s over there,’ she added to Remus. ‘You’re lucky she didn’t see you.’

Remus blinked, but Kayla just gave her a rude hand gesture. ‘Give me _some_ time,’ she added jokingly, when Marley looked slightly offended.

Marley shook her head disbelievingly, before tugging Kayla away from Remus long enough to give her a goodbye hug, shooting a two-fingered salute at latter, and sauntering off.

‘I’d better go,’ Kayla said again, pink-cheeked. She stood on tiptoe long enough to kiss him one last time. ‘Bye.’

‘Bye,’ he replied, and with that she turned, disappearing among the people.

He knew he had to go, too. He could see his mother searching for him through the crowd a good distance away, and started heading towards her. Somehow, he wasn’t quite sure how, but he knew this summer had the prospect of being a great deal better than the last. But, all the same, he was ready for when he got to go back to Hogwarts.

Back _home_.

 


	68. Year 5 - Taking Care

**_ 68 – Taking Care _ **

** Lily **

‘Petunia! Don’t you _dare - !_ Damn it.’

Lily was left in a small cloud of dust as the car sped away, cursing under her breath and scuffing her boots in the dirt.

So much for “sisterly bonding” time.

‘Damnable bloody lock . . .’

 _Now_ what was she going to do? She was left on the outskirts of town beside an old-fashioned café, twenty kilometres from home and an extreme lack of fitness under her belt. She had no money to flag down a taxi (or a bus, or _anything)_ , and there wasn’t anyone she could get a ride from.

‘ _Ugh_.’ Letting out a small hiss through her teeth, she jammed her hands in her jacket pockets and dropped down into one of the seats outside the café. She tossed a few particularly offensive curse words around in her head, and started absently braiding her hair as she tried to figure out what to do.

A few people passed her by as she sat there, but judging by the looks they gave her, they weren’t all that inclined to interact with her. Lily supposed they had good reason; she didn’t look like the most approachable person, with her ACDC shirt, leather jacket, tight-fitting black leggings, and studded combat boots.

And _no,_ before you start, it wasn’t just a _phase_. That was exactly what her mother thought it was, though it really wasn’t. Lily, who was delighted upon having found a manner of dressing that made her feel comfortable, protested vehemently every time she came close to suggesting that was the case. Granted, she constantly developed a feeling of horror in her gut whenever she remembered that Sirius had the same style, but she didn’t feel too inclined to change.

She reached inside her jacket to ensure that her wand was still safely tucked in the inside pocket, wishing with the entirety of her heart that she could hex Petunia all the way to Kentucky and beyond without facing Azkaban charges. Sadly, one can’t always get what they want, and she contemplated this minor defeat with no lack of grumbling.

The summer holidays had been nothing short of frustrating. While Lily had been away, Petunia had met someone. And, naturally, that _someone_ had been seeing her every day, either taking her for a drive or subjecting the rest of the household to his rottenness by eating all of the jam donuts and talking (in a most loud and particularly obnoxious manner) about _drills_ , of all things.

He also happened to hate Lily.

She revelled in the delight that gave her, if she was going to be honest. Vernon Dursley was a walrus of a man with too much neck and far too little brain. Lily felt that his personality (or lack thereof) both complimented and clashed with her sister’s ideals and mannerisms, and was in two minds as to whether they worked well together. He was certainly more rotten about cultural differences; Petunia might be against Lily’s magic, but she at least understood the concept of fairness when faced with it. However, if she felt that said differences would directly impact her life and wellbeing, she shunned it away faster than one could blink. Take this, for example. Petunia had dealt with the subject of her sister right from the get-go, and as far as Vernon was aware, Lily was shipped off to a boarding school for the criminally inclined during the school year, and only returned when strictly necessary. Thus, whenever he was obligated to be in the same room as her, he watched Lily like a hawk, with those tiny, pug-like eyes of his, obviously making sure she wasn’t going to pull out a . . . _rocket launcher_ . . . and put the whole town under siege.

One could say that the ( _very biased_ ) stories that Petunia had told him obviously had given him a concrete first impression about Lily. That impression seemingly wasn’t changing.

Needless to say, the day she dip-dyed her hair black scandalised him (and Tuney, for that matter) enough that he didn’t cross the threshold of their house for a week. Lily, delighted to have found a point of power, only cranked up the gears from there. She went to the nearest record store (which, admittedly, was two towns over) and bought every Aerosmith and Pink Floyd album she could afford, before making sure to play them on full volume whenever Vernon came over for tea. She stole Petunia’s eyeliner and began stockpiling dark makeup in every shape and form. She also nearly gave their mother heart failure when she crafted an earring into a faux nose piercing, and started wearing it absolutely _everywhere_.

And thus, the war began.

Lily really hadn’t intended for it to go this far. She had originally embraced her (admittedly small) rebel side purely to annoy the ever loving hell out of Vernon, but she developed an addiction to her actions, and couldn’t really stop. Nowadays, everyone who knew her in the Muggle world was having a hard time believing that this was actually _her_ – Lily Evans, the well behaved daughter of Rose Evans, _Knitting Club_ chairwoman. And, if one was going to be entirely honest, they were most likely expecting an apocalypse. As per usual, Lily was keeping her fingers crossed for a zombie one.

With another sigh, she scuffed her boots in the dirt one last time before standing up again and trudging dejectedly over to the café. The door swung open with the tinkle of a bell as she leaned against it, and she was greeted by marginally cooler, fan-generated air. Closing her eyes and enjoying this small moment of glory, she shuffled inside.

There was almost no one in today; there was a girl in a blue apron leaning against the counter and reading a magazine, and she barely spared Lily a second glance upon her arrival. There was also a couple in their forties seated at the table under a dusty window across the room, and judging by the faint noises she could hear, there was someone out the back, too. Lily hovered around the middle of the room and pretended to be occupying herself with a menu she picked up from the nearest table, wondering whether it was worth attempting to pluck up the courage to ask to borrow a phone.

‘Ya need anythin’, love?’ the girl asked after a while, watching Lily warily. Lily jerked in surprise, before looking up.

 _Yeah, if I could use your phone, that would be lovely_. ‘Erm, I’ll be a moment, thanks.’ She nodded her head towards the menu. The girl shrugged, before going back to her reading.

The café had a few odd little homemade knick-knacks for sale, and Lily pretended to show a mild interest as she tried to decide what to do. In that time, another small group of people entered, finally giving the girl at the counter something to do. While she was busy taking their orders, Lily took in a deep breath and moved up to the counter. The group, in turn, went to go find a table, and the girl went about her business preparing milkshakes. She peered at Lily over the top of the machine. ‘Ready ta order?’

‘Erm, no thanks, but I was wondering, could I borrow your phone?’

‘Sure. Just a sec.’ She looked over her shoulder towards the room behind her, and raised her voice. ‘Oi Charlie! Get’cha butt out here, would’ja?’ She turned back around and idly plonked some ice cream into a cup. ‘He’ll be a moment, hon. He’s slow like that.’

From the back room there was a noise Lily could vaguely identify as some form of reply, and a short while later, a boy nudged open the door with a coffee pot in his hands. ‘Yeah?’

The girl inclined her head towards Lily. ‘Can ya take her to the phone? I’m busy.’

Charlie didn’t exactly look at her – he was obviously too busy trying not to drop the pot as he navigated the cluttered space behind the counter, but he nodded. ‘Sure. Gimme a second, though.’

Lily chewed her tongue as he awkwardly bumbled around, nearly knocking a tray of coffee cups off the bench as he tried to make room for the pot. Eventually, after several long, painful moments of Lily cringing for his sake, he straightened up and focused on her. She finally got to have a decent look at his face, and he in turn.

The cups nearly went flying off the bench again.

‘ _Lily Evans?_ Is that _you?_ ’

‘ _Charlie?_ As in, _Charlie Williams?’_

‘The one and only.’ A broad grin split Charlie’s face as he looked Lily up and down. ‘Wow. You look, um, different.’

‘Thanks.’ He certainly did, too. In all the time that she had known him (which had been since they went to preschool together), Charlie hadn’t made any drastic alterations to his appearance; but now . . . wow. He had always had mousy brown hair; messily chopped so random chunks would always be hovering around his head like a mismatched, flyaway halo. He had an upturned nose with a smattering of freckles across the bridge, and blue-grey eyes framed with the longest eyelashes she had ever seen on a person. He was pretty – always had been – but not in a way that it taxed his masculinity. Men _definitely_ could be pretty, and he was a prime example. But now he wasn’t an awkward eight year old with an obvious crush on her; he’d definitely grown up. The chin was stronger, his lanky frame had filled out, and there was the faintest hint of stubble regrowth along his jawline.

Hiding a grin that threatened to spread across her face, Lily folded her arms and put all her weight on her right foot, letting her hip jut out. ‘You been well?’

‘Yeah, actually. Pretty good.’ He grabbed a tea towel and started drying cups in order to occupy his hands. He cocked his head towards her. ‘I heard you went to a boarding school – is that right?’

‘Yes, they enrolled me at eleven. It’s nice; it’s in Scotland.’

‘Cool. What’s it called?’

Lily froze suddenly and started looking around for some form of inspiration. Her ears picked up music playing over in the corner, and she said, ‘That’s a Beatles song, isn’t it?’

Charlie quirked a single eyebrow, but humoured her. ‘No. Led Zeppelin.’

Lily let her gaze drift sideways, and listened as hard as she could – a commendable effort considering that she had always been a little hard of hearing (Marley never let her hear the end of it; ‘ _Lil_ , I’ve been calling you as loud as _bloody_ possible!’), and the volume was turned almost all the way down.

‘Really? I could swear that it’s -’

‘ _Stairway to Heaven_. It’s _Stairway to Heaven_.’ A tiny smirk was pulling at the corner of his mouth, and he set down the mug he was wiping. ‘Alright, so the school’s a bit of an off topic. Cassie said you needed the phone, yeah? Why’s that?’

Lily stuffed her hands in her pockets and grumbled. ‘Mum sent me and Tuney out for some “sister time”. She was driving, and she’s ditched me. I need to call someone to come pick me up.’

Charlie draped the tea towel over his shoulder. ‘Well, my shift ends in fifteen minutes, and Matt’s picking me up. We can run you home if you’d like.’

‘Really?’ A wave of relief crashed over Lily and she beamed at him. ‘If it’s no bother, that would be great. Thank you.’

‘No problem. We really need to catch up, anyway. It’s been years.’

She leaned against the side of the counter, out of the way, and let him start bustling around, cleaning out dishes for no apparent reason, as no one really came in to the little café. It wasn’t surprising really, seeing that the area wasn’t particularly populated.

‘Who’s Matt?’ she asked after a little while, as he was dumping used tea leaves into the bin.

‘My best mate,’ he replied nonchalantly. ‘Don’t worry, he’s . . . _nice_. Maybe a bit full on, but I reckon you’ll like him.’

‘What’s his last name?’

‘Davison.’ He grinned at her. ‘Don’t worry, we’re not going to dump you halfway across the country.’

Lily pulled a face. ‘I’d hope not.’

Not long afterwards, Charlie shouted out to the girl (Cassie, he’d said her name was) that he was leaving her to lock up. She said something rather rude in reply (thankfully all the customers had left), and he laughed, before leading Lily outside.

The street was nearly bare, save a beige Ford Cortina pulled haphazardly up on the pavement with music blaring out of the open window. Lily barely heard a rather obscene set of lyrics before Charlie shouted out, ‘Oi! How loud’s ya radio gotta be, you idiot? People live ‘round here!’

The radio shut off rather abruptly, and a boy poked his head out of the door. ‘Well hurry up, then!’

Charlie grinned, and clapped Lily lightly on the arm. ‘That’s Matt,’ he said, nudging his head at the boy. He then called out, ‘You mind stopping ‘round at Lily’s? Poor bird got dumped out here all alone.’

‘Oh, I dunno.’ Matt made a show of thinking, and got out of the car just as they arrived. He stuck his hands on his hips and looked her up and down. She did the same, but for an entirely different reason.

It was obvious, but not obvious, at the same time. Lily figured it would take a certain type of person to really notice it, but to her it was clear as day. She could just . . .  sense it, she supposed. She kept her observation internal, though, and instead quirked an eyebrow as he grinned at her.

He was a reasonably attractive bloke, with slightly shaggy black hair that looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in a while, and brown eyes. His features were rather boyish, despite the fact that he was probably seventeen, and the grin suited him well. He was shamelessly wearing a pair of suspenders and a light blue dress shirt, despite the lack of formal occasion ( _classy guy_ , Lily noted, with a sense of appreciation), and when she peered over his shoulder into the car, she spotted a black fedora sitting in the passenger seat. She nearly laughed at the sight, and turned her attention back to him. He was watching her expectantly, obviously waiting for comment. So she gave him one. ‘If you dress like this all the time, I think I like you already.’

Charlie sighed. ‘He does. I’ve given up on buying him tee shirts.’

Matt laughed and stuck out his hand. ‘I’m Matt, by the way.’

She shook. ‘Lily.’

‘Pleasure, Lily. Love the hair.’

She grinned. ‘Thanks. And I want your fedora.’

‘Wish he had the same opinion,’ he replied, giving Charlie a pointed look. The latter sighed and rolled his eyes.

‘We need to take her home,’ he grumbled. ‘So come on, Driver, let’s go. We don’t want her mother to murder us, do we?’

‘Point,’ Matt agreed. He opened the door to the passenger seat to Lily, and she got in.

‘Sorry, I live at the other end of town,’ she said with a sheepish grin.

Matt sighed and shook his head good naturedly.

* * *

 

Lily picked up on a number of things that car trip, all of which she filed away, intending to ask Charlie about later. It was half past five when they finally arrived in the Evans’ driveway, and her mother had been fretting something fierce. Apparently Petunia had rung up, saying that she was going to spend the night at her friend Yvonne’s, and hadn’t mentioned where Lily was. Rose thanks Charlie and Matt over and over again for returning her safely, and invited them in for a cup of tea. They were gracious enough to accept, and the next twenty minutes were filled with catching up and small talk, before Charlie said that they really should be going, and they both left.

Lily met up with them a number of times over the next few weeks, both together and individually, and towards the end of July, she finally felt that they were all comfortable enough around each other that she questioned Charlie about the topic that had been on her mind since the first day.

The two of them were in the sunroom on the second floor, sprawled out over the couches with cups of tea sitting on the coffee table. Lily tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, before saying, ‘Charlie, Matt’s gay, right?’

Charlie took a sip of tea and nodded when she looked over at him. ‘Yeah.’ He paused, before saying, ‘You don’t seem bothered by that sort of stuff, and I know he trusts you enough that he won’t mind me saying.’ He set down the cup. ‘We _can_ trust you, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Lily said, sitting up and reaching for her own. ‘And it doesn’t bother me because, well -’ She swallowed nearly a quarter of the cup in one mouthful, before shrugging and setting it down again. ‘I fancied my best friend. Still do, to be honest. I get it.’

‘Huh.’ Charlie touched his nose to the rim of his cup, deep in thought.

Lily watched him for a long moment before saying, ‘And he’s not _just_ your best friend, is he? It’s a bit of a loose term?’

Charlie’s eyes flitted over and rested on her, but he didn’t say anything.

Lily took another sip. ‘I don’t care if it is or isn’t, Charlie. It doesn’t bother me, honestly. But you don’t have to say if you don’t want to. I was just curious.’

For a long moment it was silent, save the occasional mouthful of tea.

Then he spoke. ‘I suppose he is my boyfriend,’ Charlie said levelly. ‘Just not . . . publically.’

‘Alright, then,’ Lily replied.

They didn’t breach the subject again for the rest of the day, but the days thereafter he was considerably more willing to discuss it. The next time that Matt visited, Lily could tell that he knew what had transpired, but clearly wasn’t bothered. She found that was what she liked most about him (apart from letting her wear his fedoras); that he was so easy going. In turn, that rubbed off on Charlie, and the three of them continued to grow ever closer. However, as this happened, Lily found herself wondering how on earth she was going to tell them about Hogwarts.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

** **

Hope Lupin answered the doorbell exactly nine seconds after Kayla rung it, her face pale and rather anxious. Kayla raised a small picnic basket covered with a tea towel, before saying, ‘I know how bad the daytime ones can be.’

A small smile spread across the other woman’s face, and she drew her into a tight hug. ‘Bless you,’ she whispered. ‘He’s lucky to have you.’ She then invited her inside, before closing the door with a c _lick_ behind them.

‘He’s in the shed now,’ Hope said as she led Kayla to the kitchen. ‘Apparently it starts at five.’

‘Yeah, I heard,’ Kayla replied. ‘That’s why I came. I brought homemade tea, some chocolate, and a few different Muggle remedies that probably won’t work, but it doesn’t hurt to try, right?’

‘It’s the thought that counts,’ Hope replied, smiling softly at her. ‘He’ll definitely appreciate the chocolate. What tea did you bring?’

Kayla poked through the basket and laid the foodstuff out on the bench as she spoke. ‘Peppermint, chamomile, green tea, and a few different fruit ones that I have mixed opinions about.’

‘And I’ve got some Assam Bold in the pantry.’ Hope picked up the different teas and looked at them, while Kayla pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘It’s really sweet of you to be thinking of him, even when you’re not at school. Thank you.’

‘Well, I know it’s tough,’ Kayla replied, shrugging a little. ‘Both on you and him. It breaks my heart seeing him all beaten up when it’s all over.’

‘No teenager should ever have to go through that,’ Hope agreed. She moved to put the kettle on the stove and asked Kayla what tea she would like, before opening the appropriate packets and pouring them into a strainer. ‘How have your holidays been?’ she asked conversationally. ‘Remus seems to be writing often.’

Kayla blushed a little at the possibly implications underlying that statement, but pretended not to notice. ‘I’ve been quite well, thank you. I think Mum really likes it when I’m home, and it’s just the two of us.’

‘She’s well, then?’

‘Quite. She had a nasty bout of the flu in early June, but she’s better now.’

‘That’s good.’

‘How had Mr Lupin been?’

Hope sighed a little. ‘Oh, the same as usual, I suppose. Working overtime, horribly underpaid, quite stressed, but isn’t everyone nowadays? You-Know-Who and his followers have got the Ministry trying to deal with more than they can handle comfortably, especially when trying to hide it all from the Muggles. I try not to think about it. We’ve got enough on our plates, really.’ She shot a quick glance towards the back yard, where the shed was, before looking back at Kayla. A tiny smile tugged on her lips. ‘So, are you two together yet?’

Kayla couldn’t help it; the blood rushed to her face faster than she could properly comprehend it, and she was instantly reduced to a blushing, stuttering mess.

Hope laughed good-naturedly. ‘I thought so. I know my son better than he thinks. I can tell straight off the bat when his impression changes about something, and I know he’s well and truly smitten.’

Kayla could only mouth wordlessly, gaping like a rather lost fish. Her brain had completely scattered, and she was struggling quite a bit to pull it back together.

 ‘I don’t mind, really,’ Hope said, now pouring the tea into separate mugs. She passed one to Kayla and blew a little on her own to cool it. ‘I think it’s good for him.’ She smiled a little. ‘It’s something normal.’

Kayla numbly reached for her cup. ‘You don’t mind? Really?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m happy for you both. Just look after him, please. I know he thinks he doesn’t need it, but he really does.’

‘I will. Think I have been from the day I met him, if I’m going to be honest.’

Hope’s eyes crinkled over the brim of her cup. ‘That’s why I trust you. I know you won’t hurt him.’

Kayla’s hands clutched her cup a little tighter than usual, but she did her best to nod with some form of conviction. ‘I hope I won’t.’


	69. Year 5 - Just Gotta Get Right Outta Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ao3 is now caught up to date with FF.net :)

**_ 69 – Just Gotta Get Right Outta Here _ **

** Remus **

‘While I’m thinking about it, Mum: I need a new cauldron. Sirius burnt a hole through the bottom of mine at the end of last year.’

‘Put it on the shopping list, then. We’ll go to Diagon tomorrow. Now, your booklist arrived this morning, so have a look if there’s anything else you need.’

_Schick. Rustle._

‘. . . no, I don’t think -’

 _Clunk_.

‘Oh.’

‘Is that - ?’

‘I think so.’

* * *

 

** Lily **

‘Really heavy envelope this year. Huh. Anyway, I was thinking -’

‘ _I_ think you need a haircut, personally.’ _Knock-knock._ ‘I’ll get it. It’s probably that parcel I ordered.’

_Step. Step. Step. Rattle. Creak._

‘. . . That too. But – Oops!’

_Thump._

‘You alright, Lily dear?’

‘Fine, Mum! Just dropped it. I – _oh_.’

‘What is it?’

‘Come look at this!’

 _Step, step, step, step, step_. ‘Oh my!’

* * *

 

** James **

‘Oi, Mum! We need to do something about this flyscreen! Bloody bird’s been running into it again!’

‘Is he okay?’

‘Yeah, just a bump to the noggin. But my booklist’s here.’

‘Oh, good. I’ve been meaning to go shopping. Don’t you get to be Prefect this year or something?’

‘Yeah, but it won’t be me. So -’ _Schick. Thunk._

‘What were you saying, honey?’

‘It’s not _Prefect_ badge, Mum, but . . .’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

** **

‘So what was this news you wanted to tell me?’

Lily looked up from the magazine she had been poring over, and leaned further back into the cushion pile scattered across Marley’s bed. ‘ _Oh,_ right. I’d forgotten. I got Prefect.’

‘Ooh.’ Marley, who had been sitting cross-legged on her desk chair, twirling a Quaffle between her fingertips, perked up. ‘Awesome. You can boss people around.’

Lily laughed a little. ‘ _No_ , Marls. It’s a position of _responsibility_.’

‘Potato, potato, tomato, cabbage.’

‘I don’t think that’s how it goes.’

‘Bah. How does it go, then?’

‘Potayto, potahto, tomayto, tomahto.’

‘Smartarse.’

Lily gave her a cheesy grin. ‘I know.’

Marley _harrumphed_ and propped her ankle up on her knee, bouncing it around a bit. ‘What else in the way of news, then?’

‘Hmm.’ Lily stuck her hands out, and Marley tossed her the Quaffle. She turned it over thoughtfully in her hands for a bit, before throwing it back again. ‘I found one of my old primary school friends. And his friend. So I’ve got people to socialize with _outside_ of school now.’

Marley gasped dramatically. ‘ _No!_ ’

She snorted. ‘Ha. Yeah, sure. Anyway, Petunia’s got a boyfriend, and I’m doing a really good job of horrifying him with this whole punk/alternative thing I’ve got going on. That reminds me – have you got a pair of scissors?’

Marley, who had just started to process the whole _Petunia plus boyfriend_ concept, lazily reached over to fish a pair (the very same pair she had stolen from Kayla and cut her hand on) out of her pencil case, before tossing them over to her. Lily caught them and got to her feet, before going over to Marley’s dresser and doing her hair in two lazy plaits on either side of her head.

To say Marley was confused was an understatement. ‘Whatchya doin’?’

‘I need to chop all the black off. They won’t let me have it back at Hogwarts, and I’ve been meaning to get a haircut anyway.’

Marley froze, eyes wide in horror before leaping to her feet, bounding across the room, and slamming her hands down on Lily’s shoulders. ‘You mean to tell me that you’re chopping _all_ of this _off?_ ’

Lily shrugged. ‘More or less. I was thinking to my shoulders, or a bit shorter. A bob, maybe?’

‘A _bob?_ ’ Marley let out a strangled yelp, gathering the mass of plaits up in her arms. ‘Do you _realise_ just how _long_ your hair is, Lil?’ To prove her point, she poked Lily in the back, a couple of inches above her hipbone. ‘It goes down to here! And you wanna _chop it all off?_ ’

‘ _Yes_. Merlin, you’re slow. Now I’ll ask you again, would a bob suit me, or should I stick with a pixie cut?’

‘I, uh . . .’ Marley swallowed and let out a heavy sigh. ‘A feathered bob would look good, yeah. If you trimmed it every couple of months, it’d be down to your shoulders around OWLs.’

‘Hmm.’ Lily’s eyebrows drew together in a way that suggested she quite liked that idea, and she nodded thoughtfully.

‘Would you like some help?’ Marley asked weakly. She knew that there was no chance of convincing Lily out of this now, and she believed that her own hairdressing skills were quite superb, so she figured that she had better offer her assistance while it was available.

Lily beamed. ‘That would be lovely, thanks.’

Marley stuck out her hand. ‘Scissors, then.’

Lily handed them over, and she started sizing up the plaits with her eyes, holding the scissors at various heights. She stopped about two inches below the nape of her neck, and peered over Lily’s shoulder with raised eyebrows. ‘Now, are you _sure?_ ’

‘Positive.’

‘Okay. Right.’ She took a deep breath, and gradually exhaled. ‘Geronimo.’

And with that, she roughly scissored off the left plait.

Lily let out a little whoop when Marley shoved the mass of hair at her, turning it over in her hands with a grin. ‘Wow. Geez. That’s a lot.’

‘Ya _think?_ ’ Marley grumbled, already hacking away at the right one. ‘Thank Merlin it’s not super thick, or we’ll be here all day.’ She handed her the second plait and immediately embarked on a quest to conduct serious repair work on the haphazard, spikey mass that was left. She fluffed it out, and gathered chunks between her fingers, tidying it up so that it was even, but wispy and layered. Lily watched their reflection interestedly as dark red tufts of hair floated to the carpet. Behind them, sitting on the bed, her Puffskein (apparently unnamed, despite James giving it to her a year and a half ago - or so Lily claimed - so Marley had dubbed it “Bob”) tittered unhappily.

‘Hush, Bob,’ Marley said sternly, currently preoccupied with strategically layering the hair around Lily’s ears.

Bob made another noise, and judging by the reflection in the mirror, he was glaring at her. Lily just sighed.

‘I shouldn’t have brought you,’ she told him pointedly. ‘Should have let Petunia suck you up in the vacuum cleaner.’

Marley snorted. ‘Rude.’

‘But very true.’

‘Hmph.’ She stepped back and sat her hands on her hips. ‘How does that look?’

Lily experimentally fluffed out her hair, which now just reached her chin in wispy layers. After a long moment of tilting her head to and fro, she grinned. ‘I love it. You should be a hairdresser, Marls.’

‘Nope. Not my thing. Believe me, I’m going to Wideway.’

Lily paused and turned to look at her, an eyebrow travelling up her forehead. ‘Don’t you mean Broadway?’

‘That’s the one.’

‘Have fun in America, then.’

‘Wait, America?’

‘That’s where it is.’

‘ _Really?_ ’

‘Yes.’

‘Wow.’ Marley beamed at her. ‘Well, then. America, here I come.’

‘Send me a postcard.’

* * *

 

** Kayla **

As it always was on the first of September, Platform Nine and Three Quarters was full to the brim, with people hurrying all over the place, carting trunks, owls, cats, and small children with them. Kayla stood in the middle of all this, balancing on her toes in an attempt to peer over the masses, and gripping onto Daniel’s arm so as not to fall over.

‘I can’t believe your lot let me in here,’ he mumbled weakly, looking around at the crowd with something akin to shock written all over his face. ‘I mean, that barrier -’

‘You’re connected to me,’ Kayla replied absently, now standing on one foot and straining her neck. ‘Technically you’re my guardian slash escort slash family relation, so you’re allowed in here. I don’t know. Magic reasons.’

‘Magic reasons,’ Dan repeated, nodding. He tucked his free hand into the pocket of his baggy, grease-stained jeans and looked down at her. ‘Fair enough.’

‘Lily!’ she squeaked suddenly, spotting a familiar mass of red hair, beside a figure that looked suspiciously like Snape. Lily perked up at hearing her name, and made a beeline straight in their direction. Snape didn’t move, but instead continued to hover where he was, a sour look quickly spreading across his face. Kayla chose to ignore that, suddenly preoccupied by the fact that Lily looked considerably different to when they’d last seen each other.

‘You cut your hair?’ Kayla yelped, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her into a crushing hug. ‘I did _not_ see that coming!’

‘I had a phase,’ Lily replied, letting her chin drop to Kayla’s shoulder. ‘Dyed it black. But don’t freak out, I’m over it now.’

‘ _Black?_ ’

‘Mhm.’ Lily pulled away and beamed. ‘I had fake piercings and everything.’

Kayla let out a breathy huff, attempting to wipe the scandalised expression off her face. ‘Please excuse me while I faint.’

She grinned, and punched her lightly on the shoulder. ‘Love you too, dear.’

Snape reappeared at Lily’s shoulder hovering around quite like an overlarge bat, and fidgeting somewhat irritably. ‘Lily, we need -’

‘Yeah, need to go, got it.’ She kissed Kayla on the cheek and hugged her one last time, before saying, ‘I’ll see you later. Emergency calls.’

Kayla turned back to Daniel. ‘I think I’ll go now; find a compartment or something.’

‘Alright.’ He pulled her into a hug, their dramatic height differences meaning that her nose was approximately level with his ribcage. He ruffled her hair, causing it to stick up in different directions, and grinned at her. ‘Be good, alright? Write to Mum – you know how she frets. And make sure to introduce me to that boyfriend sometime in the next millennium.’

Kayla blanched. ‘ _What boyfriend?_ ’

He snorted in response, grinning. ‘Like I don’t know.’

She sighed dramatically. ‘Yeah, alright, whatever. I’m definitely _not_ writing to you.’

‘You wound me, little sis.’

‘I sincerely hope so.’

‘Go.’ He made shooing motions with his hands. ‘Hop on your magic train with your magic friends, and go to your magic school and do magic stuff. And don’t get expelled. Because that would suck.’

‘You’ve always been _so_ adept in the ways of the English language,’ she replied loftily. ‘But I’ll do that anyway. Because I’m a _wonderful_ sibling.’

‘Alright, don’t get on your high horse, there.’ He dropped a kiss on her forehead. ‘Take care.’

She gave him a little crooked smile. ‘Bye.’

* * *

 

** Marlene **

‘Kayla! _Kaaaaaaayyyyylllllllaaaaa! KAYLA! KAYLA BLOODY EDWARDS, WHERE ARE –_ Oh. Hi.’

‘Marley. Hello.’

Marley, who had been shuffling down the train corridor, drinking out of a plastic takeaway cup with a straw, threw out her arms dramatically for a hug. Kayla grudgingly obliged, eyeing the cup suspiciously, before saying, ‘Please tell me that isn’t alcohol.’

Marley snorted. ‘Please. It’s a _strawberry milkshake_ , you uncultured swine.’

‘Oh _geez_.’

‘Shut up. Anywho, you seen Lil around?’

‘Yeah, I have actually. That haircut!’

‘It’s swell, innit?’ Marley beamed proudly. ‘I cut it.’

Kayla paused, an eyebrow travelling up her forehead. ‘You gave her a _successful_ haircut?’

‘Ye of little faith. _I_ think it’s fabulous, personally, so your personal opinion isn’t valid.’

‘Rude.’

‘Yeah, well, cruel world.’

‘Hmm. Have you found a compartment?’

‘No, but -’

‘MARLEY!’

Marley whirled around so quickly that she almost got whiplash, grateful for the lid jammed tightly on top of her drink. ‘SIRIUS!’

From the other end of the train, Sirius Black began shoving his way through the masses, throwing his arm out dramatically every few paces. Marley began to gravitate his way in response, dragging a disgruntled-looking Kayla with her.

‘HOW FARE THEE, MY LOVE?’ he cried. ‘AH, BUT WE HAVE BEEN PARTED FAR TOO LONG!’

‘WHO ARE YOU QUOTING?’ she shouted back. ‘IT’S SEXY!’

‘THAT, MADAM, WAS A PURE, ORIGINAL SIRIUS BLACK QUOTE! I HOPE SO, ANYWAY! I HAVE A WAY WITH WORDS, YOU SEE!’

‘THAT EXPLAINS WHY IT’S ALSO SO _VERY_ CRAPPY!’

‘OH, YOU WOUND ME!’

‘IS THERE ANY HALF-DECENT POETRY OR SOMETHING IN YOUR HEAD? AT ALL?’

‘TO QUOTE HAMLET, ACT III, SCENE III, LINE 92, “NO”!’

‘OKAY, I THINK I LOVE YOU! YOU’RE NOT AS THICK AS YOU LOOK!’

‘I ALSO HAVE A MILD LEVEL OF APPRECIATION FOR YOUR COMPANY!’

‘GET OVER HERE, YOU GREAT LUMP!’

With that, the two of them barrelled into each other; Sirius grabbing Marley in a headlock, and the latter struggling to wrap her tiny arms around his far-too-broad chest.

‘You’re still alive and functioning, Marls!’ Sirius said with a grin, using his robe sleeve to rub static into her hair. ‘Shame, that.’

‘Ooh, I hate you,’ she seethed, feeling the frizzy locks crackle with electricity. ‘And I kind of – milkshake?’ She contemplated drink in her hand as her attention span dropped off midsentence, and turned her head to look up at him.

‘Maybe. Now come on, let’s go find humans.’

‘ _I’m_ here,’ Kayla grumbled, two feet to Marley’s left.

‘You don’t count,’ Sirius replied. ‘You’re part Grindylow.’

‘ _Oi!_ ’

‘Ooh!’ Sirius straightened up and peered over Marley’s head. ‘James Potter at six o’clock!’

‘Alright, then, lover boy. _Move_.’

Sirius scurried off down the train and joined James and Peter in their newly chosen compartment, while Marley and Kayla trailed after at a much slower pace. Later, when the five of them were comfortably parked within, James turned to Kayla with a slightly quizzical expression on his face. ‘You heard from Remus?’

Marley saw her pause, then tilt her head slightly. ‘No. Should I?’

‘Ooh!’ Sirius said suddenly, turning to James. ‘Five Galleons that he got Prefect and isn’t telling us.’

‘I keep forgetting about that’ Marley said contemplatively, chewing on her straw. ‘Yeah, definitely him. I know Lil’s the female one.’

‘Obviously,’ Sirius said pointedly. ‘I’ve never met such a stickler for rules in my _life_. And you know what _my_ family’s like.’

‘Oh, she’s not that bad,’ Kayla said, rolling her eyes. ‘She’s just sensible.’

Marley snorted. ‘Sensible? Did you hear she scared the _crap_ out of Petty this summer?’

‘. . . Apart from that.’

Marley turned to the boys with a knowing nod. ‘Kayla is quite scandalised by the prospect of one dyeing their hair, if you couldn’t tell.’

‘I just – it’s so – _nnynghhh.’_ Kayla flailed her hands around in tiny circles, failing to get her point across. ‘I honestly never expected it from Lily.’

‘Wait, we’re out of the loop here,’ James said, leaning forward with an interested look on his face. ‘Explain.’

The girls exchanged an apprehensive look, before Marley decided to give answer. ‘Lily had a . . . erm . . . “self-discovery phase”. She admits now that it didn’t quite work out, but for a while she was waltzing around like a Sirius Black with piercings.’

The three of them blinked at her owlishly for a long moment. Then finally, Sirius, ever the eloquent man he was, said, ‘You’re shitting me.’

‘You know,’ Marley replied indignantly, ‘I’ve never really understood that term. But no, I’m not “shitting” you.’

James started to grin. ‘That is _so_ . . . - _Lily Evans,_ of all people. I think I’m in love.’

‘Yeah, okay, moving on.’

Sirius chose that moment to announce he was going to the bathroom, but right as he was about to leave, the door slid open to reveal Remus.

Everyone in the compartment momentarily froze. They all stared at each other for a long while, all at loss of what to say. Finally, Marley broke the ice.

‘Sweet Merlin, it’s a string-bean. With pecs.’

‘Dayumn, Lupin.’ Sirius cracked a grin, and smacked Remus on the arse as he waltzed past. Marley choked so much she almost spat out her milkshake, but Remus didn’t even blink. In fact, three solid seconds passed before he let out a sigh and said, ‘I am honestly not surprised.’

‘In other words,’ James said, intervening, ‘looking good, Moony.’

Remus had shot up about half a foot over the summer, filled out enough muscle to balance the height appropriately, and was at least three shades darker. Regardless, he still seemed as awkward and unco as ever.

‘Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?’ Kayla asked with a tiny grin on her face as she gave him a thorough once-over.

‘I’m an identical imposter,’ Remus replied. ‘And I locked him in the cellar.’

‘Figures. C’mere.’ She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him on the cheek. Marley started making loud, obnoxious gagging noises, which James and Peter quickly joined in with. Kayla stuck up her middle finger, and proceeded to pointedly drag Remus back out of the compartment.

‘ _Somebody_ ’s having withdrawal issues,’ Marley said flatly. ‘That’s the most PDA I’ve seen from her _ever_.’

‘Ew,’ Peter agreed.

‘You’re both pansies,’ James told them bluntly, shaking his head. ‘And that’s why you’re both single.’

‘You’re single,’ Marley replied, bristling slightly. ‘Not like _you_ can talk.’

‘Yeah, but I’ve _had_ a girlfriend.’

‘Note the past tense.’

‘Can it, McKinnon.’

‘Touchy, touchy.’

‘Relationships suck, anyway,’ Peter mused, digging a chocolate bar out of his rucksack and snapping off a piece. He gave it to Marley, before getting another bit for himself. He quirked a single eyebrow at James before taking a bite. ‘Too much co-dependency.’

‘Chocolate is better than people,’ Marley agreed.

‘Those who say that are eternally bitter,’ James replied sagely. 

 


	70. Year 5 - Plotless Scenes Without A Reasonable Title

**_ 70 – Plotless Scenes Without A Reasonable Title _ **

** Marlene **

‘You know, out of all the solutions, this is probably the simplest.’

‘And one of my more ingenious notions, I must say.’

‘Since when do _you_ have ingenious notions?’

‘Oi, I’m bright sometimes.’

‘Emphasis on the “sometimes”,’ Marley snorted, waving her wand and causing the two canvas pop-up chairs to spring into shape. Sirius, who until that point in time had been sitting on the floor, clambered to his feet and flung himself dramatically down in one, limbs sprawling everywhere.

‘You _wound_ me, McKinnon.’

‘Oh, you love me,’ she replied offhandedly, uncapping a fat pink marker and picking up a piece of cardboard the size of an average school desk. Sticking her tongue between her teeth, she started scrawling words that were short and to the point, before holding it out before her and studying it in a scrutinising manner.

Sirius spared her a short glance, before sticking his nose haughtily in the air. ‘Don’t be so assuming. I don’t think I love you today.’

Marley ignored him. She was too busy squinting.

‘Needs glitter,’ she announced finally.

Sirius huffed. ‘Yeah, and I always carry _that_ on me.’

She turned to look at him, and cocked her head slightly to the side, raising a solitary eyebrow. It took a few moments, but he gradually withered under her intensive gaze. He guiltily withdrew a small tub of silver glitter from his pocket.

‘I have Peter throw it over me when I’m making a dramatic entrance,’ he told her pointedly. ‘Because glitter makes an effect.’

‘I’ve noticed,’ she replied dryly. ‘Now gimme.’

He grudgingly passed over the glitter, and she started riffling through Kayla’s (admittedly stolen) pencil case for a . . . what was it called?

She grabbed a cylindrical tube and held it up. Glue stick. Contemplatively, she unscrewed the cap and poked the shiny, clear-ish contents within.

‘Ew! It’s tacky!’

‘That’s the point of glue, you idiot,’ Sirius told her.

‘Muggles are barmy. I don’t understand this – sticking charms are more effective.’

‘You say that, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you succeed at one.’

‘That’s why I stole this.’ She waved the glue at him. ‘And I’m just gonna make good use of what I have.’

With that, she started smearing it randomly across the cardboard, before tossing glitter on top.

‘It’s stuck to my fingers, now,’ she muttered sulkily. As though to prove a point, she poked Sirius in the nose with a sparkly silver finger.

‘Cool,’ he said, going cross-eyed to look at the sparkles she left behind. Then, before she had the time to process what he was doing, he took the container and tossed it over her head.

Five seconds of complete silence passed before Marley, with a stare of utmost horror, looked him in the eyes. The Fat Lady, who was grumpily watching them her portrait behind them, squawked as some of the silver cloud settled on her paint. Marley ignored her, and silently raised a finger to point at the guilty party.

‘You. Dumped. Glitter. In. My. _HAIR!_ ’

‘Yes I did,’ Sirius replied with a wolfish grin. ‘Have fun getting that out.’

‘Oh, you _turd!_ ’ With that, she snatched the pot back from him, and threw the glitter that remained right back at him.

Sirius blinked twice, at an evenly measured pace, before exhaling leisurely and cracking his knuckles. ‘You asked for it, short-arse.’

* * *

 

** Remus **

** **

‘You have late patrol again tonight, don’t you?’ Kayla asked, readjusting the satchel slung over her shoulder. This task apparently proved to be more difficult than it should have been, as she had to stop their gradual progression down the corridor and transfer the stack of books she was holding to her other arm, before trying to relocate the strap as best she could. Remus stepped forward to relieve her of the colossal pile, before fixing the bag himself. He grinned.

Kayla reflexively blushed tomato red, mumbling, ‘I was _getting_ there,’ and started fiddling self-consciously with the end of her braid.

‘I’ll hang on to these,’ he told her, nodding at the books. She just sighed, rolled her eyes, and jutted out her bottom lip defiantly, before demanding to have them back.

Remus politely declined.

‘I’m being a gentleman,’ he told her, inclining his head slightly with a tiny smile. ‘It’s only proper.’

She scoffed. ‘Proper, my foot.’

‘Anyway, yes, I’ll be out later. Sorry.’

‘Bah.’ She scuffed her toes into the cobblestones, before starting to walk again. Remus hurried to catch up to her. ‘Never mind.’

‘What?’

‘I just thought – don’t worry about it. Another time, maybe.’

‘What?’ he prodded again. ‘Come on. Please?’

She shook her head.

‘Kayla.’

‘No.’

‘Kayla.’

She didn’t reply.

‘ _Kayla_.’

She rounded the corner, and he had to back up a bit to avoid being punted into the wall.

‘Kayla Caroline Edwards.’

‘Kudos to you for remembering my middle name.’

‘Ha _ha._ Come on. What was it?’

‘I _said_ never mind.’ Her tone sounded slightly incensed, but there was a tiny grin tugging on her lips.

‘Hey, you _want_ to tell me.’

‘No I don’t.’

‘Yes you _do_. Now spit it out.’

She poked her tongue at him in response.

‘Tell me. Or - ’

He paused as they went around the final corner onto the landing with the Fat Lady.

‘Sweet Merlin,’ Kayla whispered. ‘What are they _doing?_ ’

Right beside the entrance to the Gryffindor common room was a small, cardboard booth large enough to fit two people.  Above the booth was a sign (again, made from cardboard), covered in obscurely messy pink writing, and glitter. Remus squinted to read it, wondering for a brief second if the scrawl was written in Mermish rather than the English script.

**ATTRACTIV DAMZLS NEEDED**

**ORDISHONS HERE**

**TOAD OWNERS NOT ALOUD**

**TURTLE AND OWL OWNERS ONLY**

**CATS: TBA (that means ‘to be anownced’)**

‘. . . What.’

‘I . . . I don’t think anyone keeps turtles here,’ Kayla said, brow furrowed confusedly.

‘Well someone must,’ Remus said, ‘or it wouldn’t be written there.’

‘Oh, I think Kylie Milton does. But other than that . . .’

‘That blonde sixth year Sirius was “talking” to on the train?’ Remus deadpanned.

‘I think so.’

‘That explains a lot.’ He looked back at the booth to see that Sirius and Marley were both seated behind it, throwing off a lot more light than they usually would. Marley’s hair itself seemed brighter (and a lot more sparkly) than the average lamp on the walls. ‘But _why?_ ’

‘Let’s find out.’ With that, she strode off in their direction.

Marley looked around at their approach and beamed, getting to her feet. ‘Hey guys!’

‘What are you doing?’ Remus and Kayla asked in unison.

She perked up immediately. ‘Ooh, this is great! Just you wait – we’re putting on a production! Of what, we don’t know yet, but something Muggle.’

‘Don’t you need more than just . . . _damsels_ to put on a play?’ Kayla asked.

Marley shrugged. ‘Well, yeah, but this is really just an excuse for Sirius to have auditions for his new girlfriend. We’ll deal with the blokes later.’

‘ _What?_ ’

‘Yeah, not my idea.’

‘Why are you so picky about what pets they own?’ Remus cut in.

‘Because toad owners are _so_ behind the times,’ Marley said, as though it were obvious. ‘It’s bloody medieval. Sirius wants a nice, groovy lady who’s got her head well and truly in the 70s.’

‘Groovy, huh?’ Remus muttered.

Kayla crossed her arms and leaned on her hip. ‘Who wrote the sign?’

‘Me,’ Marley replied proudly.

‘. . . promise me you’ll learn to spell in the next two years.’

She scoffed. ‘I spell _just_ fine.’

‘Keep telling yourself that.’

‘Moony!’ Sirius cried, suddenly realising they were there. He got dramatically to his feet and knocked over his chair, before vaulting over the booth to greet them. ‘Be in my play!’

‘. . . No.’

‘But you could be Benvolio! Or Macbeth! Or – or Oliver Twist!’

‘Oliver Twist is Dickens, Sirius,’ Remus dryly. ‘And a novel, not a theatre production.’

‘But it could be.’

‘I suppose so. But no, I’m an Arithmancy student, not an actor. Find someone else.’

Kayla gasped suddenly, clapping her hands over her mouth. ‘I’ve always wanted to be in a play!’

Sirius snapped his fingers and pointed at her. ‘Then you’re in! Special pass!’

‘But no dating,’ Remus said immediately, giving Sirius a pointed look. Sirius simply grinned.

‘Calm, Moony, calm. Shortie reads too much Austen for my taste.’

‘Oh, this is great!’ Kayla started bouncing around on the balls of her feet, beaming as widely as her face would allow. ‘I mean, yeah, I have the self-confidence and social skills of a peanut, but - a _play!_ ’

‘Woah, slow down, firecracker,’ Remus said, reaching out and reining her in as she started to gravitate away from the group. ‘You’ll go straight out the window.’

‘Sorry,’ she said quickly, sparing a grin at the open window beside her. Regardless, it didn’t fade. ‘I just – wow – This has _got_ to happen,’ she told Sirius. ‘You – you can’t forget, or call it off, or anything like that, because my hopes and dreams now rest on this one production. _Please_ tell me we’re doing Shakespeare.’

Sirius stared at her for a long moment, before blinking slowly. ‘What?’

‘Who -’Marley broke off, her brow furrowing in confusion. She popped her knuckles thoughtfully. ‘Who’s Shakespeare?’

‘Oh.’ Kayla paused, taking a moment to think. ‘Um, what’s that one you said earlier . . . He wrote, uh . . . “Romeo and Juliet”. And “Hamlet”. And “Macbeth”. Lots of famous plays.’

‘Is he Muggle?’ Marley asked, tilting her head thoughtfully.

‘Yeah.’

They both suddenly _ahh_ ed in unison, nodding at each other as realisation dawned over them. Remus burst out laughing at their expressions, and Kayla giggled a little bit. 

‘Bah, we’ll figure it out later,’ Marley said offhandedly, waving a hand at them. ‘Let’s find Sirius a girlfriend first.’

Sirius knocked her on the head with his fist. ‘Be more obvious about it, why don’t you? As if – ooh, and we have a taker! Madam, are you perhaps interested in auditioning for . . . er . . . Macbeth and Juliet?’

Alice Prewett paused a mere three feet from the portrait of the Fat Lady, and cocked her head oddly at him. ‘What-a-what, now?’

‘Um, I meant _Great Expectations_. No – _Sherlock Holmes!_ Ah, bugger, where was I going with this?’

‘Alice is taken, Sirius,’ Marley reminded him, clocking him on the head in return. ‘And I’m sure you don’t want Frank chasing after you with a beater’s bat.’

‘True,’ Sirius mused. ‘Alright then, off with you.’ He waved Alice away, and she gladly departed with a huff and a shake of the head. ‘Next!’

* * *

 

Two hours later found them all in quite a strange predicament. Kayla and Remus were slumped together in a large, squashy beanbag Remus had transfigured out of who-knows-what, while Sirius and Marley were sitting professionally behind their cardboard booth, addressing – one by one, mind you – the line of girls that stretched to the end of the corridor and well around the corner.

Why is this a “predicament”, one might ask?

‘Thank you for your time, Bessie,’ Marley said, awkwardly patting a Hufflepuff girl on the back, who was sobbing hysterically with her whole body thrown across the booth, ‘but we feel that you just don’t . . . make the cut.’

Word had spread quickly around the castle about Sirius Black’s “musical/girlfriend auditions”, and almost every “eligible” (meaning both single and taken) female in the castle had turned up, some with copious amounts of sugary confectionary in hopes of bribing Sirius to date them. And if that wasn’t chaotic enough, the rejects weren’t taking things too well. There was screaming, crying, menacing castration implications, quaffles thrown (where those came from, Kayla had no idea), food fights, fist fights, slap fights (the most brutal of those), threats to shave Marley’s head in all of its curly glory, and worst of all, tome abuse as textbooks were used as attempted murder weapons.

‘Okay, okay, move along now,’ Sirius said, his left eye twitching as he poked the girl off the booth. ‘Next!’

Over the course of time however, the line only seemed to grow. Tensions rose as Sirius turned down more and more girls due to their obsessive habits, pets, and favourite Quidditch teams, and Marley took to shrinking lower and lower down in her seat every time this happened.

‘Okay, I thought this was going to be a play,’ a particularly bored looking Ravenclaw said, leaning on the booth and looking at the two of them with her head tilted. ‘But I’m also being told you’re holding “auditions” for a new girlfriend. Can you clear this up for me?’

‘Eh, take it as you see it,’ Sirius replied, shrugging.

‘But is there a reason you’ve rejected seventy three girls so far?’

‘Seventy three?’ another said, peering around the Ravenclaw. ‘Are you bloody serious?’

‘Seventy three?’

‘Did she say seventy three?’

‘Or was it twenty seven?’

‘It was seventy three, you clodpole.’

The number seventy three travelled down the line of people, and indignant shouts began to arise the further it got.

‘I’ve been standing here for forty minutes, because you’ve rejected _seventy three people!_ Nope. I’m outta here.’

‘Yeah!’

‘What the hell, Black?’

‘Why don’t you just use McKinnon? She’s dumb enough to help you!’

‘Who holds _auditions_ for a girlfriend?’

‘Oi! Creative people do!’ Sirius cried indignantly, snapping his fingers. ‘And if you don’t want some of this -’ He jabbed at his chest with his thumbs. ‘- then it’s your loss! Farewell, ladies!’

‘Quite bloody right,’ someone mumbled, and the group began to disperse.

‘Well, that malfunctioned,’ Kayla muttered to Remus, who was watching the spectacle with raised eyebrows.

‘You don’t say,’ he replied.

‘That’s on your own head, suckers!’ Marley crowed, jumping atop the booth. ‘Boom! That’s right! Marley McKinnon is _the_ Sirius Black’s one and only leading lady! I! AM! A! GODDESS! _WOO!_ ’

‘Oi, get down from there,’ Kayla said, getting up and tugging on the hem of her robes. ‘Don’t fall on your head.’

‘ _Please_. This is cardboard. Muggles made this stuff; I won’t fal – _NNGAH!’_

With the sort of clumsiness only Marley could manage, she fell through the booth with limbs flailing everywhere. A massive cloud of glitter spurted into the air, and the box toppled over with a final thump.

After a long beat, she let out a loud bray reminiscent of a donkey.

‘Funny thing about cardboard, Marls,’ Kayla said tilting her head. ‘It’s quite weak.’

She stuck out her hand and hauled Marley out of the box. Sirius stuffed his hands in his pockets and pouted a little.

‘Well, this is rubbish.’

‘Ah, you’ll be fine,’ Remus told him.

‘Mmm.’

There was another pause as he kicked the cardboard, causing more glitter to float into the air. Then he sneezed. The sheer randomness of it caused everyone to burst into laughter.

‘I don’t think I want a girlfriend, Marley,’ Sirius mumbled, looking remarkably like a two year old. ‘Your species is too weird.’

She dropped her head on his shoulder, so that he got a face full of hair. ‘There, there.’


	71. Year 5 - The Girl and the Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long guys, but thanks for waiting :)

**_ 71 – The Girl and the Wolf _ **

** James **

** **

‘Get up, man! Move! _Move!_ ’

Sirius let out a keening whine and burrowed further into his duvet nest, scrunching up his face like a pug. James let out a short, angry huff, before yanking the covers off, and dragging him out of bed by the ankles. Sirius let out an ungodly screech as he hit the freezing floor and sprang to his feet, immediately wrapping himself tightly in his dressing gown. He shot James a sulky glare as he stuffed his feet into a pair of sheepskin ugg boots (whose they were, no one really cared), and cocked his head to the side.

‘What. The. Ever-loving. _Hell._ Do. You. Want. Potter?’

James folded his arms and frowned at him. ‘It’s Remus’ time of the month. He’ll have to go to the Shack pretty soon. And besides, what are you doing in bed at three in the afternoon anyway?’

Sirius wrinkled his nose. ‘Well, unlike _someone_ , who doesn’t really look after their cousin, I was with Marley all night. We stole Peter’s bedsheets and used them to make elf costumes.’

**_Fourteen hours previously:_ **

_‘I am Legolas, a super badass archer!’_

_‘And_ I _am Arwen, the chick that gets to marry Aragorn. Lucky bugger_.’

_‘Hey, you’re not feminine enough to be Arwen. Isn’t she all like, graceful and floaty and stuff?’_

_‘So what? Arwen can have curly hair. Well, I reckon she can.’_

_‘Oh well. En garde!’_

_‘OW! Sirius, watch where you’re swinging that damn broom!’_

_‘You were too slow, milady. En garde!’_

_‘Argh! Fine. It’s_ on _, peasant.’_

**_Now:_ **

James folded his arms, giving Sirius an unimpressed look. ‘Is that why he crawled in _my_ bed when it started to get freakishly cold? Because, _what the hell!_ ’

Sirius snorted. ‘Hey, they were some pretty swish looking robes.’

James pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes. ‘Alright, fine. Go down to the Great Hall and have some breakfast, and be back here in ten. I’ll stock up the Emergency Kit.’

Sirius nodded, finally starting to look marginally serious. He dragged on an ancient, hole-ridden Led Zeppelin sweater and some tracksuit pants, before leaving the dormitory. James, meanwhile, got down on all fours and dragged a patched, red and gold satchel from beneath his bed, and opened it.

Spilling its contents onto the sheets, he made a mental checklist on what needed replacing or topping up.

Among the range of items that were in the bag, there was several rolls of bandaging, a Muggle lighter, some rubbing alcohol, a vial of Restorative Draught, a block of Honeydukes best chocolate – most of which had been eaten, a Gryffindor scarf, a small hip-flask of whiskey, several pairs of socks, and a bag of Fizzing Whizbees. The antiseptic, potion, and bandaging had all been stolen from the Hospital Wing, and thankfully, hadn’t needed to be used yet. Getting to his feet, he yanked open his bedside drawer and pulled out two more blocks of chocolate, swapping them with what remained in the bag. He popped the scraps in his mouth, and looked around thoughtfully as he chewed. After a moment, he grabbed his lucky Gryffindor sweater (which Mum had knitted for him last Christmas, and was a little bit small), and shoved it in. He drew the drawstring on the satchel, and then shouldered it, before walking downstairs to the Common Room.

Due to colder weather steadily approaching, most of the Gryffindors had remained inside for the day. Groups of people were clustered in and around the armchairs and tables, playing chess, talking, and for some strange reason, levitating gobstones and flinging them at unsuspecting by-passers.

James dodged one of the aforementioned stones as he made his way to the portrait hole, not even stopping to ruffle Evans’ hair as he passed her. He wasn’t really in the mood to pester her.

Outside, the stone landing was unexpectedly cool. James bunched up his hands in the sleeves of his sweatshirt and debated for a brief moment whether he should go back up to the dormitory and get a jumper. Right when he decided to however, Sirius came bounding up the stairs with three muffins in one hand.

‘M re’ey,’ he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs. He then devoured another one whole.

‘Alright then, loser,’ James replied, deciding just to suffer when the time came to it. ‘Did you encounter Peter on your adventures?’

Sirius snorted. ‘Yeah, he’s coming – in his own time, mind you. Saw him trying to flirt with Aislin Andrews in that awkward, fumbling way he does when he’s using my pick-up lines.’ He grinned proudly.

James sniggered with him. ‘Aww, look at our little Pete – all grown up.’

‘Before we know it -’ Sirius sighed, pressing a hand over his heart, ‘- why, he’ll be reeling in _Snivellus_ with his charms. He’d better lock him away.’

‘He’ll be breaking hearts,’ James agreed. ‘Well, in that adorable, pudgy-child way of his.’

‘And terrible use of vocabulary,’ Sirius put in.

James looked at him dubiously. ‘Mate, if anyone’s gonna take out the award for “Worst English Speaker in the History of Ever”, it’ll be you. No competition.’

Sirius punched him in the shoulder, sending him off-kilter. ‘Tosser.’

‘You know you love me.’

* * *

 

In accordance to James’ surprisingly reliable astronomy chart, the full moon was supposed to make its appearance around lunchtime the next day. However, taking into consideration the horrible sleeping patterns the Marauders followed, they couldn’t trust themselves to rise early enough to deal with the situation at a more appropriate time. Therefore whenever times like these arose, James, Sirius, and Peter took it upon themselves to get Remus as comfortable as possible the day beforehand, leaving him with plenty of food and a few books that no one would miss if they happened to get shredded.

When James and Sirius finally crawled out of the dirt tunnel beneath the Whomping Willow and into the shack, they found Remus sitting cross-legged in the middle of the dusty old bed, fumbling about with a colossal mountain of wool and a set of knitting needles. Upon seeing them, he froze like a deer caught in headlights.

Sirius let out a loud squawk of complete and utter horror. Meanwhile, James simply tripped over his own feet.

Remus laughed awkwardly, stuffing the wool behind him, cheeks going red. ‘You two are here early.’

‘You’re _knitting_ ,’ James wheezed, gingerly lifting himself up off his freshly scraped knee. ‘ _Explain_ , Lupin.’

Remus winced. ‘Kayla was trying to teach me. I’m absolutely lousy, though.’ At his friends’ raised eyebrows, he added indignantly, ‘ _It passes time!’_

James sniggered, crossing the room and plonking down beside him. ‘Well, you can knit me a scarf then.

‘Watch me,’ Remus shot back. James picked up the tangle of wool and inspected it. It was a tragically misshapen sweater with one sleeve sitting considerably higher than the other. Several stitches had been missed, leaving gaping chunks in odd places.

‘Wow. I think this is the one thing Moony can’t do.’

‘Shut up.’ Remus swatted him on the arm. Sirius meanwhile, had recovered from his shock and was now busily pulling various items out of the satchel and dumping them in a small pile on the floor. He made a nest out of all the blankets and jumpers that had been strewn across the room over time, and stuffed all of the medical supplies beneath a loose floorboard. Then he parked himself in the middle of the nest.

‘Join me, brethren,’ he said in a sombre voice, patting the squashy mass around him. ‘There is yet room for four, should Pete _hurry his bloody arse up and get here already.’_

‘You said he was trying to catch a girlfriend, Pads. Things like that take time.’

Remus stifled a snort in his hand, and got up to join Sirius in the nest. James sighed, before rolling his eyes and following.

The three of them sat and squabbled like birds over the most ridiculous topics for ten minutes until Peter arrived, and then, it simply became four birds.

This was the life they led. It hardly seemed terrifying. They always forgot, in that period of total bliss, that they were hours away from something dark. It was just friends all cocooned in a blanket together, doing their best to forget about the world.

How ironic it was the world didn’t choose to forget about them.

The sun had finally begun to set when Remus sighed, and began to curl back up into his metaphorical shell.

‘You’ll have to go now, guys,’ he said, trying to appear light hearted, though his disappointment was showing through.

The other three exchanged glances. They had done this enough times that they didn’t fight it anymore; when Remus wanted them to go, they left. There was no changing his mind, convincing him to let them stay a little longer.

James yawned a little, and stretched out his limbs. ‘Alright then, Lupin. You take care of yourself. We’ll be back in two days.’ He dumped his share of blankets back into the nest and then, in a disgusting moment of Sirius-like affection, pulled Remus close and instinctively pecked him on the head. Immediately after, in a pathetic attempt to redeem his manliness, he clapped him roughly on the back.

Remus raised a single eyebrow at him when he pulled away, but didn’t seem particularly surprised. ‘That was very gay, James. I’m proud of you.’

‘Thanks. I was trying to be like Sirius.’

Sirius just scrunched his nose. ‘You’re just jealous because the men want me too,’ he said snidely.

‘Keep telling yourself that, Pads.’

* * *

 

** Sirius **

** **

The trip back up to the castle was considerably less cheery than the journey down. The darkness slowly closed in upon them like a cloud, chasing them until they got back inside. Students were milling about to and from dinner, so it was easy to meld back into the crowd. James and Peter went down to dinner, and Sirius continued on to the dormitory. He was nearly bursting with energy – most of it out of nerves, thinking about Remus – and figured he ought to go blow something up just so he’d stop twitching.

The Common Room was completely empty when he reached it; not a particularly odd phenomenon, though Sirius wasn’t generally used to seeing it that way. So no one would be here to distract him, then. Well, that was unfortunate. Unintentionally, he found himself reciting the first act of Shakespeare’s _Twelfth Night_ as he began the arduous task of climbing the spiral staircase. He wasn’t as stupid as he let on when it came to muggle literature – in fact, he had a number of scenes, acts and sonnets memorised by heart.

‘ _If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may stricken and die.’_ He stuffed his hands in his pockets, ducking his head a little. ‘ _That strain again! It had a dying fall; O, it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound that breathes upon a bank of violets, stealing and giving odour! Enough, no more; ‘tis not so sweet now as it was before.’_

It gave him a strange sensation in his gut, this sort of thing. Getting lost in the words slowed his brain down, calmed his heartbeat. It was beautiful, how stupid that might sound. ‘ _O spirit of love, how quick and fresh art thou! That, notwithstanding thy capacity recieveth as the sea, nought enters -’_

He halted, pulled from his reverie as he became aware of a crackling, heated presence on the landing above. Marley was standing in the doorway, arms folded.

And she looked murderous.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

It wasn’t in Marley’s nature to pry. Especially into something on this sort of scale. But, when James and Sirius left the common room with the grimmest of expressions on their faces, carting a rather large backpack with them, she had to know why. Over the years, curiosity had been a companion of hers. However, this was one thing she had never poked into. She’d never really felt the need to, until now.

So, with full intention to sneak after them and investigate (‘Lily, I need you to cast a Disillusionment Charm on me, please. Pretty-please. I-love-you-so-much-pretty-please. Thank you, Lily dearest.’), she followed them out to the grounds and down the slope past Hagrid’s hut, until they reached the Whomping Willow. Then, the most curious thing happened. James levitated a stick and directed the pointy end straight into a knotted root, and . . .  _the tree stilled_. The two of them then slipped down into a little tunnel in amongst the roots.

Though Marley was still attempting to comprehend what had happened, she didn’t hesitate to follow. Then, things had somehow gotten weirder; the tunnel led to the _Shrieking Shack, of all places_ , and _Remus_ had been there, and Peter soon joined them, and _oh_ the things she heard: _werewolves, lunar cycles, star charts, Remus –_

She hadn’t seen it coming.

It felt like the wind had literally been knocked from her. She staggered back out of the Shack and into the tunnel, nearly hyperventilating. _Remus, not Remus – sweet, wonderful Remus – he’d be the last person to be –_

And so, here she was, standing before the boys’ dormitories with no clue what to do, think or feel. But she knew one thing she needed to do.

‘I want answers. _Now_.’

 


	72. Year 5 - Mendacium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up kids, we're going for a ride on the angst-coaster.

**_ 72 –  _ ** **_ Mendacium _ **

** Sirius **

Here was where the situation stood: Marley knew something, and as the two of them halted face-to-face in the doorway, the words of _Twelfth Night_ dying on Sirius’ lips, they reached an impasse.

Sirius wasn’t going to speak, and Marley wasn’t aggressive enough to force him.

He was, however, so petrified by the expression on her face that he made the mistake of inviting cocky bravado back into his life.

‘Lovely to see you again, darling. How are the children?’

The decision was immediately regrettable as a spark lit up behind her eyes, burning with the fury of a thousand suns. There was no hesitation as she swung her upper body to backhand him sharply across the face.

‘Don’t you _dare_ ,’ she hissed. ‘You will tell me _right now_ what the bloody hell is going on here, and you _will NOT_ beat around the bush.’

Sirius felt that odd swooping sensation in his gut that always appeared when something was drastically wrong; something so utterly unfixable that he should run. _Now_.

He had never been one to actually _obey_ his gut.

‘Tell you what?’ he asked snidely, folding his arms. ‘What’s wrong with you, Marls?’ He hissed suddenly as the fresh welt on his cheek began to sting, and looked at her with an incredulous expression. ‘ _Honestly,_ what’s up?’

‘I saw things, Sirius,’ she said tightly. Her huge, brown eyes were strangely hooded, and the sheer lack of emotion within them plunged an icy shard of anxiety into Sirius’ heart. ‘I _heard_ things. And for the love of Merlin, don’t you dare deny them.’

‘Babe -’

‘Don’t _babe_ me! I’m not your bloody girlfriend!’

‘Marley -’

‘There’s nothing wrong with him. Tell me there’s _nothing_ wrong with Remus, and that he’s okay.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with Remus,’ Sirius repeated in a hoarse voice.

‘You’re lying.’

‘Yes.’

‘I heard things about _werewolves_. Look me in the eye and tell me he isn’t one.’

A hot ball of nausea bubbled in the pit of his stomach. ‘Why would you think that, Marley?’

One second passed. Then two. After a moment, Sirius realised she looked like she was actually blinking back _tears_. He didn’t know what to think – Marley wasn’t a particularly prejudiced person in any sort of way. For Merlin’s sake, she thought _vampires_ were “sexy in a smouldering kinda way”, she had a crush on the captain of the Holyhead Harpies in third year, who, mind you, was a _woman_ , and the other day she was pointing at an article in the Daily Prophet and raging about the new Half-Breed Containment Act the Ministry was currently mulling over. She was a _very_ open-minded person. So why was this bothering her?

‘Why didn’t you _tell_ me?’ she whispered, inhaling shakily, and clearly doing her best not to cry. ‘Sirius, this is _big_. Remus is a – a -’

Sirius never had a verbal filter. It was one of his more “unflattering” characteristics, as Kayla tended to say. ‘Then go. Because if you hurt him, I’ll disown you.’

Marley blinked like she’d been struck. ‘What do you _mean?_ ’ she hissed shrilly. ‘ _When did I say -’_ She cut off and swallowed uncomfortably, like she had a golf-ball wedged in her throat. ‘Fine. I see how it is. Pick one or the other, eh?’

She shoved past him, ramming his shoulder into the stone wall, and fled down the stairs. Sirius was left alone to process what she’d just said.

‘Pick one or the other?’ he repeated. Why did she think –

Oh.

_Oh._

_‘Marley! Marley, come back! MARLEY!’_

But she was gone. Sirius was left alone in the cold, echo-y tower, her words bouncing back and forth in his head, and realising just how badly he’d misunderstood her.

In the end, lies would make fools of them all.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

Marley choked back a sob as she fled the Gryffindor Tower, grateful for the fact that everyone was still down at dinner. The corridors blurred into each other as she turned left and right, desperately trying to lose herself in the maze of stone blocks and torch brackets. She leapt down staircases, staggering against the bannisters, passed Mrs Norris twice (did that cat ever die?), quickly ducked into the empty boys’ bathroom to pee, and then kept running.

Eventually, after tripping and sliding on her backside down one of the spiral tower staircases, she staggered into an empty classroom at the foot of it (which looked like it had been abandoned in Medieval times, mind you), and collapsed on a dusty, ancient desk.

She didn’t cry.

It didn’t feel right. Her throat ached, and her nose stung. Her eyes threatened to water, but she furiously blinked the tears away. This wasn’t about _her_.

_This wasn’t about her._

This was about Remus. And Sirius, who was an arse. Not her. She wasn’t allowed to make it about her. That was selfish.

But _Remus_ , she thought dully, swallowing heavily. _Remus_. _A werewolf_.

Somehow, despite her addled mind, it made sense.

He disappeared far too often just for “his mother being ill”. Even if she had some sort of chronic disease, he was too invested in his studies to be leaving Hogwarts every few weeks for days at a time. It didn’t fit. If he were to leave for family visits, he would go on weekends, not during the middle of the week.

Not that Marley was one to judge.

Well, maybe his mother _was_ ill. Maybe she _was_ ill, and he really _was_ leaving constantly to see her. Maybe he _wasn’t_ a werewolf. Maybe she had misunderstood.

Alas, her mind wasn’t fooled that easily. She couldn’t lie to herself.

‘ _Damnit, Sirius,’_ she muttered quietly, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Of all the dicky things to do, he _actually_ thought she was enough of a cow to make him choose between her and Remus. He _genuinely_ thought that.

That seemed to hurt more than Remus hiding a big, whopping secret from her for five years.

‘You goddamn _idiot_ ,’ she murmured to herself. Talking out loud felt more therapeutic than keeping the thoughts bottled inside, so she kept talking.

‘Why the hell don’t you trust me? I thought you _loved_ me, you frigging sod.’

She sniffled slightly.

‘Why don’t you – _hic_ -’

‘I _actually_ thought you -’

 _‘_ I – _hic – urghhh -’_

She tried valiantly to stifle her hiccups, and wiped angrily at her streaming eyes.

‘I am _not_ crying!’ she hissed.

‘I _don’t_ cry!’

‘You are not making me bloody _cry_ , Sirius Black! You don’t deserve that satisfaction.’

‘It’s weak.’

‘I’m not weak.’

‘. . .  I hate you.’

‘ _I hate you!’_

_I HATE YOU!’_

(She didn’t.)

She punched the floor in fury and let out a gasping sob as pain shot through her fist, before cradling it absently in her other palm. She scrunched up her eyes.

She did not cry.

(That’s what she thought.)

She told herself she _wasn’t_ crying as tears slipped down her cheeks.

She told herself she _wasn’t_ crying as her chest heaved with guttural hiccups.

She told herself she _wasn’t bloody crying_ as she let out a strange, high-pitched whine that trailed off into nothingness.

‘ _Damn you,_ Black.’

‘Y-you don’t ca-care.’

‘You’re a goddamn _idiot.’_

She scrunched up her nose and inhaled shakily.

‘Y-you don’t l-love me any _mooooooorrreeee.’_

She sounded awful to her own ears, unable to stop the whine-like noise that came out of her mouth. She didn’t know why she felt like this.

. . .

That was a lie.

She knew exactly why.

And goddamnit, she may be an angsty teenager who was always slightly on edge, but she could allow herself this little luxury for once. It wasn’t like there was anyone to see her.

She hiccupped again.

‘I _hate_ you.’

‘I bloody _hate you!_ ’

‘. . . no, I don’t.’

She stared at the wall.

She gave in.

She cried.

* * *

 

Hours later, she lay on the desk, exhausted to the bone, and eyes sore. She transfigured herself a tacky blanket that was black with rainbow-printed words that read: _Fight me, I’m a unicorn!_ The rusted candelabra hanging above her head had only one candle that still burned, casting a dull, flickering light over a small part of the room. She wanted to sleep, but just couldn’t quite manage it.

Instead, she lay there and thought.

She thought about Remus.

She thought about Sirius.

(If she had any energy left, she probably would have cried.)

The thought about Remus again.

She thought about Kayla.

Did Kayla know? Probably, she was his girlfriend, after all. It was very unlikely that Remus would let himself get into a relationship without explaining the truth; the whole truth.

But how long had Kayla known? How many times had she lied to Marley about where he was, what he was doing?

How many times had they all lied?

If Sirius knew, then James knew. If James knew, then Peter probably knew. Those boys weren’t the sort to leave each other out of the loop.

Did Lily know? She was a lot closer to Remus than Marley was, to be fair. And she _was_ a hair brighter than Marley, too. It wouldn’t be surprising if she had figured it out for herself. Looking back on it, she _did_ seem to be in the loop when it came to Remus’ disappearances. She never asked questions, just nodded in understanding. She never poked, and she never pried. Not that Marley knew of, anyway. And Lily _was_ a nosy person. So, the only reason she wouldn’t be investigating the situation would be because she already _knew_.

A cold, heavy feeling that felt a _lot_ like betrayal settled in Marley’s gut.

They all knew.

 _All_ of them.

And they had kept it hidden from Marley for _five years_.

She exhaled shakily.

Well, there went her faith in humanity.

She chose to ignore that fact for the meantime, moving on so her brain wouldn’t get bogged down in emotions like it had before. She desperately tried to source out the positives in the situation.

Well, she knew _now._ She wouldn’t be left out of the loop anymore. That was good, wasn’t it?

That depended on if she ever talked to any of them again. If not, then there wouldn’t _be_ a loop to be left out of.

Oh, she was being dramatic. Of _course_ she’d talk to them again. Eventually.

Then there was the future to think of. Could Remus have kids? She had the strangest feeling that Kayla would be crushed if they couldn’t have babies together. But say, if they could, would the babies be werewolves? Or only partially? Would they have a preference for raw meat?

She was struck with the strangest vision of a little litter of wolf babies, all running around a cottage home with Kayla frantically chasing after them. A laugh bubbled in Marley’s throat.

‘Oh, who am I kidding,’ she muttered. ‘They’d have the most adorable babies. I’m surprised they’re not reproducing _now_ for the hell of it.’ She immediately quashed that thought, because the idea of a raging, hormonal and _very pregnant_ Kayla dealing with OWL examinations was too much to handle. ‘Okay, maybe not when they’re fifteen. But still. _Werewolf babies._ ’

She internally cooed, feeling solace in that little thought. ‘I bet they’d be like puppies, but humans most of the time.’

Marley was never one to think about things logically.

* * *

 

The sun had long since set, and Marley still hadn’t moved. She couldn’t bear the thought of going back to Gryffindor tower and facing _anyone_ , especially when she was feeling so irritable about the situation. She had no clue what the time was – maybe around ten or eleven o’clock – and when she looked outside, most of the castle windows were dim. Her own candle was holding up valiantly, from what she could tell way up there.

She didn’t know if anyone had tried looking for her. Probably not. They were all in bed, most likely, getting a good night’s sleep while Marley lay on a desk in a cold, abandoned classroom, rugged up in a blanket and thinking about life.

She had found a few old, yellowed bits of parchment in one of the cabinet draws, along with an _ancient_ eagle feather quill and an ink pot that had somehow survived years of disuse. She absently doodled some awful wolf-creatures, appropriately titling them _Remus and Kayla Werewolf Babies_ , along with a few Snitches, a Quaffle, Sirius getting hit in the face by a Bludger (she wished she knew how to make it move, so she could have the satisfaction of watching it hit him over and over again), and for some reason she didn’t quite know, she found herself drawing a little stick-figure deer, dog, rat, and wolf.

She sighed as she looked at her masterpieces, and decided she’d ask Lily how to make them move when she went back to the dormitory. Speaking of which . . .

She guessed it was time to return.

Marley pocketed the paper and finally left the classroom, closing the creaky door behind her. She then began the long trek back up the spiral staircase, and was left with the mission of figuring out where the hell she was and how she was going to get back to the Common Room. Avoiding the teachers was another mission, too. When it came to You-Know-Who hanging around like a bad smell, they didn’t take security lightly.

Keeping to the shadows, Marley scurried along the corridors and tried to get her bearings. Eventually, after much twisting and turning, she found herself in the Staircase Hall, and with a sigh of relief, tried to convince the animate staircases to be her friend and let her get up to the Gryffindor Common Room without a fuss.

Well, to put it simply, the stairs were a bitch today.

They sent her well on her way _down_ the castle as opposed to _up_ , and Marley very nearly screamed with rage, remembering at the last second that she was supposed to be discrete. Eventually however, she managed to get herself up to Gryffindor Tower.

The Fat Lady arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow. ‘Someone’s out late tonight,’ she commented dryly.

Marley ignored her. ‘Horklump.’

‘A midnight rendezvous with one’s boyfriend isn’t the smartest thing to be doing,’ she added.

‘Shut up,’ Marley hissed. ‘Do I look pretty enough to have a boyfriend?’

The question went unanswered. The Fat Lady simply rolled her eyes, and the portrait swung open.

Marley nearly cried with relief when she saw the empty Common Room, and was well on her way to the girls’ staircase when she heard movement. Sirius stirred on the couch, and sat bolt upright when he saw her.

‘Marley,’ he said in a hoarse voice. ‘You’re okay.’

‘I don’t think it would be wise to speak to me at the moment,’ Marley replied primly, ignoring the horrible lurch in her stomach upon seeing him.

‘Marley, please, let me explain -’

‘Goodnight, Sirius.’

She left him sitting there, with nothing but hurt written all over his face.


	73. Year 5 - Let's Move Forward, If We Can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops I kinda forgot about this, sorry.

**_ 73 – Let’s Move Forward, If We Can _ **

** Sirius **

It was halfway through a particularly dull History of Magic lesson that Sirius explained his predicament to James. He looked up from the Transfiguration textbook he had been poring over (still valiantly pursuing their quest for Animagi-ism) and said, ‘I messed up.’

‘You don’t say,’ James mumbled distractedly, aiming the paper plane he had folded at the back of Lily’s head. He chucked it, waited for her squawk of indignation, and turned back to Sirius. ‘Wait, what did you say?’

Sirius glared at him. ‘Have you _not_ noticed that Marley has refused to talk to any of us for two whole days?’

James paused. His eyebrows arched in realisation, and he winced. ‘I hadn’t, actually,’ he admitted guiltily. ‘I just thought she was busy. Y’know.’

Sirius snorted. ‘ _Busy?_ With _what?_ ’

‘True. I wouldn’t think too much of it, mate.’

‘No, I haven’t told you what happened yet.’

‘Mr Portley, Mr Brack,’ Professor Binns droned, looking tiredly up from his notes. ‘If you could cease your discussion . . .’

James wrinkled his nose, before pulling out a sheet of parchment and a quill.

_Why? What happened? - JP_

Sirius sighed internally.

**She found out. About Moony. – SB**

James paused. He looked at Sirius, wide eyed, and began scribbling furiously.

_What the hell? ! ? ! She’s mad? Like, angry?_

**Not at him – she’s mad at me. I said something really stupid.**

_Well?_

**I panicked. I thought she was going to get all prejudiced and stuff about it, and basically said if she hurt Remus, I’d pick him. But she was never insinuating that – I misinterpreted.**

James exhaled slowly as his eyes scanned over the writing, and looked over at Marley. She was sitting alone in the back corner of the room, idly doodling on a piece of parchment and leaning her head on her hand. He looked back at Sirius, and proceeded to elbow him in the stomach. _Really hard_.

Sirius wheezed and doubled over, trying to keep quiet. ‘ _I know_ ,’ he whispered.

James glared stonily, and picked up the quill again.

_What the hell’s wrong with you? ? ? It’s MARLEY for Merlin’s sake!_

**I KNOW! I panicked, okay? ! ? !**

_You bloody idiot!_

**I KNOW!**

_But then why’s she mad at all of us?_

**I KN - I don’t know.**

James frowned contemplatively, before tearing off a strip of parchment, writing on it, scrunching it into a ball, and pegging it at Marley’s head. She flinched as it hit her and bounced onto the desk.

She glanced at it for a second, then without blinking twice, brushed it onto the floor.

James ground his teeth and threw another note.

She ignored it.

Sirius ventured to help out in the note-throwing quest, and the two of them kept pegging scraps of parchment until Binns dismissed the class. She continued to ignore them as she packed up her belongings, shouldered her pack, and left the room.

James and Sirius exchanged a hurried glance and took off after her, cramming their supplies into their satchels as they went.

‘Marley!

‘Marls!’

‘MARLEY!’

‘MARLENE!’

The two of them skidded either side of her, desperately trying to get her attention.

‘Please talk to me,’ Sirius begged.

‘Marley, he’s really sorry,’ James added.

‘Piss off,’ she replied flatly, picking up speed and leaving them behind. They hurried to catch up again.

‘Marley –’

‘I _said_ piss off!’

‘Please -’

‘Damn it, just leave me alone!’ she shouted, throwing her arms akimbo. ‘Take a goddamn hint, would you?’ She stormed off around the corner before either of them could reply. When they hurried after her, she had disappeared down the staircase and out of sight.

* * *

 

** Kayla **

When Hurricane Marley arrived, there was little either Kayla or Lily could do to prevent collateral damage. The two of them sat anxiously on Lily’s bed awaiting the return of their friend and wondering what the hell could happen to make her disappear overnight and come back a raging mess.

‘Peter doesn’t know,’ Kayla said. ‘Sirius won’t tell him what happened.’

‘So Sirius knows, then?’

‘Yeah, but he’s not saying anything.’

‘Well that’s just dandy, isn’t it?’

Kayla made a noise of agreement. Last night, the two of them had gone to bed and sat awake, waiting for the door to swing open and for Marley to barge in, spurting some dramatic tale of grandeur. By ten o’clock, which was the curfew for fifth years, there had been still no sign of her. Claire and Imogen had showered and gone to bed, and even after that time-consuming ritual was complete, she still hadn’t returned.

‘Something might have happened,’ Lily had said softly. ‘You-Know-Who’s supporters, you know the ones in the castle, they could have . . .’

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Kayla muttered. ‘She’s pureblood. Those sadists wouldn’t go after her.’

‘She’s a blood traitor. They might as well.’

‘But no one’s tried to hurt her before.’

Lily shrugged. ‘I’m just putting the possibility on the table.’

Kayla exhaled. Her mind had been going at a million miles an hour – where the hell would Marley go at night? The likelihood of her going to the library was little to none, the Quidditch pitch was too dark to fly, and she expressed next to no interest in any other pursuit, so that really limited the possibilities.

‘You don’t suppose . . .’ Lily started slowly.

Kayla looked over at her. Lily’s hair had been ruffled and fluffy in the moonlight, sticking in several different directions. She’d looked ridiculously tired – the purple bruises beneath her eyes were darker than they really should have been, and she clearly wanted to go to sleep.

Kayla had figured it was unfair to keep that need from her.

‘Go to sleep, Lils. I’ll keep an eye out for her.’

Lily made a small _mmm_ in the back of her throat, and absently fluffed out her pillows. ‘Aren’t you sleepy, though?’

‘Not as much as you,’ she replied. ‘I can stay awake for a few more hours. If she’s not back by two I’ll go find a teacher.’

Lily exhaled softly, her eyes seemingly fluttering shut of their own accord. ‘Okay. Wake me if you’re going to do that, though. I’ll come.’

‘Sure thing,’ Kayla had told her. ‘Now sleep.’

‘Mmh.’

After about nine o’clock every night, the little candles that sat in the wall sconces would begin to dim, reminding students that they should probably get to bed at a reasonable hour. No one really paid them any mind, to be fair, but it was a unique little feature Kayla quite liked about Hogwarts. The candles had long since dimmed when midnight rolled around, and were nearly out completely – just casting enough light so that one with reasonable eyesight could only barely navigate where they were going.

Kayla had been trying to avoid nodding off, sitting cross-legged at the head of her bed with her back straight, reading her old, weathered copy of _The Hobbit._ She was personally more preferential to _The Lord of the Rings_ , but seeing as it was the middle of the night, and she was never the sanest of individuals when she was tired, she somehow found the novel enjoyable.

At the time, she thoroughly believed she’d regret having that opinion in the morning. Certainly enough, when she woke up after all these events, she’d taken one look at the book and thrown it across the room.

The had door swung open just as this thought occurred to her, and a bedraggled-looking Marley had slouched in, eyes red and puffy. Kayla was in high-alert mode immediately.

‘Holy hell, Marls,’ she had whispered, leaning up on her knees. ‘What happened?’

Marley hadn’t looked at her. Instead, she had murmured a quiet, ‘Please don’t talk to me,’ gotten into bed, and drawn the hangings about herself.

Kayla wasn’t mad enough to disobey her.

That morning neither Kayla nor Lily saw anything of her. She had been gone by the time either of them had woken up, and they were unfortunate enough to witness her chewing out James and Sirius after History of Magic, which only further heightened their concerns. Kayla wasn’t quite ready to admit she was a little afraid of what might happen.

Jumping back to the present now; when Marley eventually turned up, she looked tired and drawn. She barely spared Kayla and Lily a glance before she climbed into bed and drew the hangings, just like last night.

Kayla was hardly about to have a repeat of that. Exchanging a glance, the two of them followed Marley into bed.

If she had noticed their arrival, she didn’t acknowledge it. She was already buried beneath the covers, her curly head just poking out the top. She stirred slightly as Kayla sat down, the bed sinking beneath her weight. Lily hovered awkwardly for a second, before curling at the foot like a cat.

‘Marley,’ Kayla murmured, giving her a gentle nudge. ‘Marley, baby, talk to me.’

Marley didn’t respond. Lily half-heartedly gave her feet a little poke. She squirmed a little at this, making a tiny noise of frustration. Kayla tugged the blankets down to reveal her face. Her eyes were scrunched up, barely visible beneath her mop of hair. Kayla carefully brushed it out of her face, and rested her palm on her forehead, brushing a thumb along her cheekbone. ‘Marls.’

‘Come on, honey,’ Lily said softly. ‘Please sit up. I – if you feel like it, I mean.’

Marley let out a little sigh, blowing a curl away from her mouth. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes and leaned up a little. Kayla put a pillow beneath her back to prop her up better.

Though her eyes weren’t red, and she seemingly hadn’t been crying, there were dark shadows in a ring around them. Kayla instinctively reached out and smoothed back her hair.

‘What’s going on?’ she murmured. ‘You’ve been odd.’

Marley met her gaze fleetingly, but finally seemed to pluck up the courage to speak. ‘You both know, don’t you.’

It wasn’t a question.

Kayla and Lily exchanged a confused glance, before the latter voiced the immediate question on both of their minds.

‘Know what?’

‘About Remus.’

And just like that, a heavy weight dropped in Kayla’s stomach. She felt the blood visibly drain from her face, and tried not to flinch.

_Oh._

Remus was in the Hospital Wing, as of the moment. Madam Pomfrey was giving him the night to recover.

Somehow, it made a horrifying amount of sense.

‘You know,’ Marley said lowly. ‘James knows. Sirius knows. Peter knows. You _all_ knew.’

Lily paled.

‘You’ve all been _lying_ to me for _five years_.’

‘Not _five years_ ,’ Lily said. ‘I’ve only known for one.’

Kayla shuffled uncomfortably. ‘I . . . It’s not been my place to . . . to say anything, you know? That’s Remus’ business, and it’s not exactly like he _told_ us. We all found out by chance.’

‘But none of you _trusted me_. I-its been easier to lie, than just to say something.’

‘Marley . . .’

‘Is it something I’ve _done?_ ’ she asked, her voice becoming slightly anguished. ‘I – I know I can be a brat, and loud, and obnoxious, a-and I’m not very smart, b-but I _do_ know what’s important. Is there something about me tha-that seems untrustworthy?’

‘ _No_ , Marley,’ Lily insisted. ‘ _No_ , I – You’ll have to ask Remus. You’ll just have to – to ask him.’

 _Talk to Remus_. That was all they could say.

She looked downward at her folded arms, blonde eyelashes grazing her cheekbones. She seemed to be deep in thought, like a million things were going through her brain at once and she couldn’t quite make sense of them all. Kayla brushed back another flyaway curl, unsure of what to say. _None_ of them knew what to say.

It was a long time before anyone dared to break that silence.

‘Are we okay now?’ Lily asked after a beat, giving Marley a little nudge.

Marley exhaled shakily, but then finally, nodded. ‘Yeah.  I just – It feels awful. Being left out of the loop, y’know?’

It was an obvious lie. Her shoulders were still tensed, and she didn’t meet either of their gazes as she said it.

‘We’re really sorry,’ Kayla said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. ‘But . . . at least you know now, right?’

‘I guess so,’ she mumbled. But she still didn’t seem satisfied. Eyes cast low, she remained silent for a few moments, before sighing quietly and sitting up, swivelling sideways out of bed and putting her feet on the ground. ‘I’m gonna go for a walk.’

‘Where?’ Lily asked warily, tilting her head a little.

‘I won’t get caught. I’ll just go to those abandoned Charms classrooms – you know, the ones at the bottom of the staircase?’

Kayla let out a tense exhale. ‘Alright, just . . . just come back soon, yeah?’

Marley waved an absent hand. ‘It’ll be fine,’ she mumbled, pulling her curls into a frizzy bun atop her head. ‘Just . . . I need a minute. By myself.’

Lily’s eyebrows furrowed a little, but she scooted aside so Marley could get up. Without so much as a backwards glance, she pulled on one of Kayla’s pink, fuzzy dressing-gowns, and left the dormitory.

* * *

 

** Marlene **

She was being stupid. She knew that. Wallowing in self-pity didn’t usually do much for one’s mental development, and didn’t exactly make them look like the most mature of individuals to the public eye.

She didn’t care.

She knew that James and Sirius were beating themselves up over the matter. Probably Peter, too. She knew that Lily and Kayla had reached Anxious Mother Bird phase, and were probably worrying themselves stupid.

She knew she didn’t deserve friends like them, and she _definitely_ shouldn’t be giving them the cold-shoulder.

_She didn’t care._

‘I’m a horrible person,’ she muttered to herself, scuffing her slippers against the stone floor. ‘I’m so horrible, You-Know-Who himself can’t hold a candle to me. Ugh.’

It was entirely selfish of her to be thinking about herself. This whole matter was about Remus. It was Remus’ secret, and it hardly mattered that all of her friends had kept such a crucial truth from her. It _didn’t matter_ that they had been blatantly lying to her the whole time she had known them. It most _certainly_ did not matter that she hadn’t earned their trust in that department.

She didn’t blame them. It wasn’t like she was an individual who was particularly demure.

Marley found herself turning into an empty corridor she hadn’t been down before, lined with doors that must have belonged to classrooms once upon a time. It was oddly clean – usually those corridors were a little dustier and cobwebby than what would be considered appropriate, and the well-used air of the place surprised her a little. Stuffing her hands in her pockets and raising her eyebrows, she continued on her trek.

Reluctantly, she thought about Sirius.

Sirius _freaking_ Black, who made a mistake like most morons like him do.

He had said something dumb – she couldn’t even really remember what it _was_ now, but she knew clear as day how she had felt.

She felt betrayed, mostly. And hurt. Hurt that he could think so little of her.

Well, he probably didn’t.

He probably . . .  didn’t. His brain just happened to run at a mile a minute, and his mouth had no verbal filter whatsoever. That was, after all, the cause of most of his problems.

It was just a stupid mistake.

Just a _stupid mistake_.

She understood that. She couldn’t fault him for it – she was just as brainless most of the time.

She could forgive him.

She stopped in her tracks, wrapped the fluffy dressing-gown tighter around herself, and breathed in.

Her lungs expanded, filling with deliciously cool air. She elevated herself to her toes, and with an exhale, let it all out again.

 _Screw you, negative thoughts_ , an internal voice said.

 _Yeah_ , she agreed. _Screw you._

She knew nothing about meditation. She thought it was all baloney, really. But stopping to breathe . . . it had done _something_ , certainly.

She forgave, and let it go.

Naturally, that was when everything proceeded to go wrong.

She stopped at the very first door, which was ornately carved. An eagle, a serpent, a lion, and a badger were all intertwined in the centre, and along the edge of the frame was an ivy vine. It was so pretty it momentarily stopped her in her tracks.

‘Huh,’ she muttered. ‘Hogwarts _does_ have class.’

She was so distracted by the carving, and valiantly trying to decipher the finer details, that when she pushed the door open she didn’t initially notice what was inside. She was, however, roused from her thoughts when a high-pitched shriek interrupted them.

‘Gah!’ She jumped violently when she saw Aislin Andrews in the middle of the room, blushing scarlet to the roots of her hair and hurriedly pulling on an overlarge Gryffindor sweater.

‘Bugger!’ Marley yelped, backing into the doorframe. ‘Sorry, Aislin, I swear I didn’t know you were here -’

‘It’s fine, it’s fine,’ Aislin said quickly, trying to retain a little of her decorum. She straightened awkwardly, eyes darting around the room.

‘I’ll just – go -’

‘Yeah, you should probably -’

‘Who is it?’ A new voice interrupted their disjointed conversation, and suddenly it all made _so much sense_.

A figure Marley hadn’t noticed before came into the dim light, moving close enough to see. Evidently the two of them had sprung apart at Marley’s abrupt entrance, leaving only Aislin in view. A figure that was _horribly familiar_.

‘Sirius?’ she asked weakly, eyes widening.

Her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Completely shirtless, and eyes wide with shock, Sirius strode forward until they were only a foot apart. His mouth dropped open.

‘I – Marley -’

She swallowed awkwardly, feeling her heartbeat grow steadily louder in her eyes. ‘It . . . seems you’ve been busy.’

‘Marley -’

‘No, it’s fine. I’ll go.’

‘ _Marley -’_

 _‘_ You two . . . have fun.’ She wrapped the gown tighter around herself, trying to steady her horrified breathing, and hurried out the door. Behind her, she heard Aislin’s indignant voice saying, ‘You said she wasn’t your girlfriend!’, and Sirius crashing into the doorframe, replying with a sharp, ‘She _isn’t!_ ’

Marley was gone before she heard any more.


End file.
